Ursa Major
by Estrelle Buscador
Summary: The gang is all getting together for a weekend of camping after finishing their first year of college. It promises to be a fun time for everyone - but just what is the "something important" that Arnold wants to tell Helga?
1. No Time for Beauty Sleep

Hello readers! Here is the beginning chapter of my new Hey Arnold! fanfic. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters.

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"We're almost to the top now!" The early morning light had just begun its descent on the hikers, and the leader's outline was suddenly rimmed in gold – a tall, well-built young man of relatively average proportions except for his head, which was a distinctly unusual shape. Following closely behind him was another young man, who seemed to be carrying most of the equipment. And much, much further behind them were the figures of two women carrying tents and struggling to keep up – one a bit tall, the other a shade below average height.

The taller of the two shifted her tent to the other arm and yelled, "You said we were almost to the top ten minutes ago, Football Head!"

The frustration in her voice would have made most grown men flinch, but the leader just looked down and grinned at her. "Well, we were. And now, we're even closer."

Helga was now sputtering dangerously, and Gerald took the time to catch up with Arnold. Together, they looked down at their girlfriends making their way up the hill, Phoebe trying to placate a very tired Helga. Gerald shook his head. "Mm mm mm. You're messing with fire, man."

"Nah, it'll be fine. It isn't that much further now anyway. And as much as I don't like making her mad, if it gives her enough energy to get up here…"

"Just hope it doesn't give her enough energy to rip your arm off."

Arnold laughed a little, "She won't."

"You're a bold kid, man."

The girls had finally caught up with them, both breathing heavily with rivulets of sweat running behind their ears. Phoebe looked merely tired, but Helga looked as though she was about to launch into a boyfriend-berating. Before she could start, Arnold pointed to a gathering of stones nearby. "Let's take a break."

Everyone dropped their equipment and obediently followed him to the cluster of stones. Phoebe sat down and Gerald sat beside her, draping an arm over her shoulders and rubbing them. Helga plopped down and kicked her feet up onto another rock, flexing her feet slightly as she stretched the tight muscles in her lower legs. Arnold sat on the rock beside her, debating on whether or not he should follow Gerald's example. He knew that his touch usually calmed her down, but it was very early in the morning and Helga had not been able to down her usual two cups of coffee. And even with caffeine, she was not a morning person. He let his hand drop to the side. Better not risk it.

Helga made an impatient noise in her throat. "We really need to work on your depth perception, Football Head. We were nowhere near the top."

"We're closer now, though." He pointed to the apex of the hill. "Just over that hill is our camping spot, and then we'll walk downhill for a change, which means we'll be going a lot faster."

"Fine, Arnold." Helga rubbed her eyes and sighed. _Okay, this is just embarrassing. I'm the strongest person on my rowing team, and yet I can't hike up a hill carrying a tent? What's the deal? Probably it's because it's so early – I can't think straight, and I'm snapping at everyone. But Arnold should have known better than to get me up this early._ "But remind me," she pointedly continued, "just who was the genius that suggested we have the gang get-together on a freaking mountain?"

She expected him to just laugh good-naturedly at the accusation or cringe slightly. Instead, he stiffened, gave a little cough, and nodded his head to the side. Eyebrows furrowed, she followed the inclination of his head and saw…Phoebe sheepishly raising her hand. An unpleasant shock shot through her. _Oh great, it __was__ Phoebe's idea. How could I forget…_

Her face lost all its color, which almost immediately returned with a vengeance and stained her entire face red. Helga's tone of voice changed completely as she tried to retract what she'd just said. The two boys looked at each other, trying hard not to laugh. If Phoebe's feelings had been hurt it would have been different, but Helga somehow had missed the humor in her best friend's gaze and was stumbling over herself to make amends.

Arnold couldn't look at Gerald anymore for fear of bursting into laughter, and he turned around and looked into the horizon. Helga hadn't been far off the mark when she'd accused him of planning the get-together – he'd been helping Phoebe with the plans ever since the beginning of the summer. He'd given a lot of helpful input, but this weekend was really her brainchild.

It had made sense that, when communications from all the P.S. 118 graduates had agreed that a summer reunion was absolutely necessary, that Phoebe had been the one to plan it. Despite being nearly as meek as she'd been in elementary school, Phoebe had become the official leader of their class at the beginning of high school when she'd been elected class president. Unlike many high school politicians who heartily promised grandiose plans that they had not intention of keeping, Phoebe had quietly and firmly promised simply that she would do her best for the school. And she'd delivered. She spoke little more than she did when she was younger, but when she talked, people listened – she always had the right answer or the best solution. Phoebe was also a whiz at meticulous planning and organizing, so when she'd offered to plan the event everyone had accepted – besides, with the balancing of summer jobs and college courses foremost on everyone's minds, no one else really wanted to spare the time.

Helga was still apologizing. "I mean, I like it, Phoebe, it's a good idea. It's just," she yawned, "did we have to get up so early? I need my beauty sleep."

"Sorry, Helga." Phoebe readjusted her glasses. "But yes, I think this is the best time to travel up here – it's not too hot now and we'll have plenty of time to set up camp."

Helga sighed and gave her feet another quick stretch. "Well, you're the boss. Lead the way."

Phoebe smiled and, together with Gerald, got up to walk to the top. Arnold stood up and waited beside Helga as she shifted her gear around. She got up and groaned, "Only for Phebes would I get up this early…I really need some more beauty sleep."

Arnold gave her a cheeky smile as he asked, "Would it help if I told you that you were already so beautiful that you didn't need it?"

Helga gave a derisive snort and turned her head away. "No, it'd just be incredibly corny, Football Head." She could not quite hide her expression from him, and he grinned at the glimpse of her blissful smile and the pleased blush that could be seen even through her flushed face. _She is so pretty when she's happy. Actually, she's also pretty when she's embarrassed. And she is really cute when she's angry…_Arnold looked ahead of them and watched Helga catch up with the others. _I'm so glad that Gerald can't hear me right now – I'd never hear the end of it._

Even the boys were relieved when they reached the top of the hill, although they would have never admitted it to their girlfriends – they simply looked gratefully down the hill and quickly put down their gear, but not too quickly. It wouldn't do for the girls to see that the guys were having trouble. All four looked down into the valley, and suddenly their collective breath was taken away.

The sun had finally begun to rise, bathing the trees and grass with a golden glow. The liquid dish of gold crowned the horizon, painting the sky unimaginably beautiful hues of rose and red. The early morning air, free of the clutter of the city they were so accustomed to, was gentle on their sweaty faces and smelled fresh. They were all struck speechless. Arnold was admiring the peace and serenity of the place, Phoebe noted the chemical properties of the atmosphere that made the colors so bright, and Gerald was appreciating the fact that the rest of the hike was downhill. But Helga was completely spellbound, her eyes staring forward in a stupor. Phoebe and Arnold both noticed the expression and gave each other a secret grin. _Wait for it…_

An enormous yell fractured the silence. "I've got to write about this!" Helga had sprung out of her stupor and was now rifling frantically though her backpack. "Aha!" she yelled in exultation as she held the journal up. She flipped it open to a new page and began scribbling rapidly. Arnold watched her with a smile – once Helga had felt comfortable showing her artistic side in public (a transition made easier by the fact that she'd threatened to punch any mockers), she carried a notebook with her everywhere. This notebook was black like most others, but had a thin pink line down the spine. The pink reminded Arnold of Helga's previous journals, which she'd cautiously shown him when they'd started dating. The fact that he'd never picked up that the boy in all of her grade school poems was himself still made him laugh…

Helga had finished scribbling. "Come on, let's get this started already." She shoved her gear onto her back and began running down the hill, the others following in hot pursuit. There was a lot of work to do before nightfall.

**···**

The tents having been set up and been approved by Phoebe's inspection, the girls were cleaning up the dishes after dinner while the boys were out scouting for more firewood for the next few days. "It hearkens back to the more medieval time period," Phoebe admitted to Helga after the boys left, "but I think the boys will be able to bring back more wood than we could."

Helga looked up from the pan she was scrubbing. "That, and the fact that you're still afraid of the dark."

Phoebe forked her hands on her hips. "And you aren't? I seem to remember a certain someone who couldn't go to sleep without lighting several candles in her closet and leaving the door open."

Helga's mouth dropped. "Phebes! You know that was my," her voice dropped to a whisper, "Arnold shrine."

"Shrine or not, you still had to light it up before you could even think of sleeping." Phoebe giggled, "But you're right, Helga, it was because of the dark – and because I'd prefer that the boys get sweaty instead of us."

"You're a genius, Phebes," Helga said appreciatively. She dried off the last pan. "Well, that's done – want to take a break?" She got up, walked past the stumps they'd set up around the fire pit and knelt down to begin building the fire. They'd already cleaned and prepared the fire ring – all she had to do was set up the wood and light the match.

"Yes!" Phoebe put away the dishes, and sat down to watch Helga's work. "This would be the perfect time to review last-minute plans."

Helga rolled her eyes, and blew lightly on the lit wood to strengthen the flame. When thick tendrils of smoke and heat began to rise from the wood, she brushed her hands on her jeans, leaning back to survey her work. She groaned, "You sure have some weird ideas about what 'taking a break' means, Phebes. But go on ahead."

Phoebe readjusted her glasses. "Well, everyone responded, and it sounds like everyone can come…except Peapod Kid."

Helga tossed some more tinder onto the growing fire. "Poor guy. He's probably too traumatized by the fact that we called him by the name of a vegetable for all those years…why did I write a play about food anyway?"

Phoebe gave her best friend a mock glare. "Actually, he's completing a big internship with the CEO of a major grocery chain in another state and can't get away."

Helga grinned, "A grocery chain? I told you – the man's obsessed with produce…"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Anyway, everyone else can come. We're going to meet them down at the parking lot around noon, and then we'll walk them up here. Then we'll go hiking and canoeing – "

"And smores-eating?" Helga shifted herself onto a stump.

"Naturally! Luckily, we only need to set up two more tents tomorrow, so we can get right to the canoeing and so on when people get here – ack!" Phoebe pulled off her glasses and polished them on her shirt. "Darn ashes."

"Maybe you should wear contacts, Phoebe. Your glasses have been fogging up or getting dirty since we got here."

"That's just nature, not my glasses. Besides, wearing glasses is more practical; they're easier to care for, less painful –"

"Gerald told you they looked cute, didn't he?"

Phoebe blushed. "Well…"

"Thought so. Tall Hair Boy is a real charmer." Helga was grinning, but then her face became more serious. "You really do love him, don't you, Phoebe?"

A warm smile spread across Phoebe's face. "Yes, I do. It's a nice feeling, isn't it?"

Helga folded her arms across her legs and stared into the fire. "I guess so."

"You guess so?" Phoebe's voice was perplexed. "I thought you loved Arnold!" Her tone grew mischievous. "Or have your feelings for 'ice cream'…melted?"

As she'd hoped, Helga began laughing, "Phoebe!" But then her face fell back into the solemn set and she frowned, "Of course I love him – I just don't know if he feels the same way."

Only compassion kept Phoebe from rolling her eyes. Helga was the toughest person she knew, but when it came to Arnold she could become highly insecure mush. Despite all the staggering evidence staring her in the face, Helga sometimes had difficulty understanding that Arnold loved her back. "Helga, it's obvious he does, you just need to accept that! Especially if that 'something important' he wants to show you is any indic – oops." Phoebe clapped a hand to her mouth, hoping that Helga hadn't heard that.

She had. " 'Something important?' He has something important to tell me? What is it? How do you know?"

Phoebe sighed, "I have no idea, Helga. The guys were just talking about it once when Arnold was helping me set up this weekend before I walked into the room."

"And you didn't ask what they were talking about?"

"No, it was none of my business."

"What? But Phoebe, you have to know everything!"

"I do not!"

Helga sighed and then, in an uncanny imitation of an academic contest judge, asked, "Which of the Egyptian pharaohs built the Great Sphinx of Giza?"

Without skipping a beat, Phoebe adjusted her glasses and in an eager monotone answered, "Djedefra, of the Fourth Dynasty. He also built a pyramid at Abu Rawash which was destroyed by the Romans." She then realized what she'd done and blushed. Old habits die hard. "That's academic stuff, Helga – that's different. And…I tried. But the boys wouldn't tell me, and I didn't press Gerald to fill me in. I have to respect Arnold's privacy."

"But this is also about me!"

Phoebe put a hand on Helga's shoulder. "I know. But I'm sure it's something good, Helga, something you'll want to hear."

Helga looked off into the distance, in the direction that the boys had left in their search for more firewood. She took in a deep breath, smelling the soothing scent of wood smoke, and let it out slowly. "I'm sure you're right. You always are." She smiled, but her mind was uneasy as she looked into the night.

_I hope that Phoebe's right…what is Arnold wanting to tell me?_

**···**

Not far away, the subject of Helga's thoughts was ironically talking about the same thing as he gathered twigs from the ground. Gerald looked at him while leaning against a tree. "So…you gonna tell her tonight?"

Arnold looked up into the sky where the moon was currently obscured in evening cloud. "No, the time's not right."

"When will the time be right, then?"

"Soon…I think."

"You think? Good to see that you're feeling confident." Gerald grinned, and Arnold's only reply was to maturely cross his eyes at him. "But seriously, Arnold, why not now?"

Arnold sighed, "I just want it to go right, Gerald – I'm a little nervous about telling her. This is important to me, and I want everything to be perfect."

"Don't worry, man. It'll work out fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Arnold looked towards the campsite, where he could see the glints of the fire light through the trees and hear Helga's laughter. _I just hope that you're ready to hear what I have to say, Helga._

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A/N: What is the "something important" thing that Arnold wants to tell Helga? Hmm, you shall have to wait and see.  
Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope that you enjoyed it!  
Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews make me happy!


	2. Dramatis Personae

Here is the second part of Ursa Major. If there's one thing I've learned from this, it's that I should probably have written the second part of this before I posted the first part...sorry about that :)

Thanks so much to those who reviewed!  
**loonytunecrazy **- Thank you! I love writing Helga's lines. For all I know, Helga's Arnold shrine is simply a physical, artistic testament to her devotion to her love - but I couldn't resist implying that it doubled as a night light. Teehee. And that's a good guess for what Arnold wants to tell her - you'll have to wait and see!  
**NintendoGal55 **- Oh, it is important, trust me! I'm glad that you're sticking around. *sweat drop* You'll cry? Oh, great, more pressure... ;)  
**Thundercatroar** - Thanks for the encouragement! It means a lot to me. I really liked having Phoebe come out of her shell and give as good as she got to Helga.  
**Readrbug21** - I'm glad you're excited! Thanks! I love writing for Helga when she's ticked off for some reason, it just has a lot of capacity for humor since it really doesn't faze Arnold at all..hehe. When Helga yelled about writing it down, she was channeling me a little bit - I've been known to do that. I just hope hers was more successful, usually by the time I find my notebook, the words I've wanted to write have slipped away. Oh well. And it makes total sense to me - that was what I was trying to do - and thanks for reviewing so early!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any or its characters. Unfortunately.

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Helga lay down on the green grass and closed her eyes, letting the warm sunlight soak her through. She luxuriously stretched her arms and legs in an almost cat-like manner, taking care not to bump into Phoebe who was lying beside here. "What a glorious morning, wouldn't you say, Phebes?"

"Oh, I think so. Although you thinking so surprises me a little…"

"Well, maybe you're right about all that 'communing with nature' stuff, Phebes. I feel so rejuvenated and refreshed; maybe sleeping and being outdoors did the trick."

"So, letting you sleep in until ten and the three cups of fire-brewed coffee you downed as soon as you crawled out of the tent had nothing to do with it?"

Helga sat up and grinned at the smirk on her friend's face. "Nope," she said as she folded her legs beneath her and propped her elbows on her knees, "completely and totally the 'communing with nature' thing." Phoebe giggled and shook her head.

It had been a beautiful and peaceful night – not too hot and with a breeze just strong enough to keep the various insects at bay. Once Arnold and Gerald had returned with the firewood and stored away most of it, the four had set together by the fire ring, the girls sliding into the warmth of the boys' arms, which wrapped protectively around them. They'd talked a little but spent most of the time in a comfortable silence, listening to the snap of the flames and watching the patterns of light they made on the grass and the nearby trees. All were peaceful, although Helga noticed Arnold looking up at the sky a few times with what could only be termed frustration. That kind of emotion from her calm, easygoing boyfriend surprised her, and her mind became a little uneasy. _What's the matter, Arnold? Maybe he's just tired – that's kind of like me this morning. _A pang of guilt tugged at her mind. _Poor Football Head, I sure gave him the gears this morning. I wonder if that's why he feels so frustrated now. _She'd leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Arnold. You know that, right?"

He'd looked down at her, the frustration fading from his expression to be replaced by the loving smile and half-lidded gaze that made her heart thump in her chest. "Of course," he'd returned as he leaned down and did her one better by kissing her gently on the lips. "I love you too."

A robust rumble of laughter shocked them both into breaking the kiss, and they looked towards the source of the noise. Gerald was the one laughing, but he wasn't laughing at them – his eyes were locked onto his girlfriend who had turned around and was looking him full in the face. One of her eyebrows was arched, and the smile on her face might as well have screamed, _And why aren't __you__ kissing me?_ Gerald quickly remedied the situation, and Arnold and Helga gently chuckled at the pleased blush on Phoebe's face before they turned away and looked out into the clouded night. They all sat together enjoying the peace, and Helga grew so comfortable that she almost stopped thinking about the 'something important' Arnold had to show her. Almost.

They had risen nice and late that morning, and the girls were now waiting to welcome their friends by the parking lot while the boys were standing out on the main road so that no one would miss the turn-off. Soon they'd need to be jumping all over the place, but for the moment they could just relax.

"Who do you think will be first, Phebes?" Helga asked as she stretched her neck.

"I guess we're about to find out. Look!" Phoebe had heard the popping of gravel beneath the oncoming car's tires and sat up. She was now pointing in the direction of the car, and Helga had to squint through the glare of the sun to see it. The driver-side door opened and the driver got out, and Phoebe's face lit up with recognition. Helga still was trying in vain to see, her hand shading her eyes as she peered ahead. "Who is it, Phebes?"

Phoebe turned towards her, her eyes excited, "It's – "

"Hey Helga! Hey Phebes! How are you guys doing?"

Helga brightened, and she called back, "Brainy, is that you?"

"Yeah! Hold on a minute." Brainy walked out of the glare of the sunlight and both girls were able to see clearly. He waved happily up at them. "How are you guys doing?"

Brainy and Helga's relationship had completely switched from what it had been when they were children – it was oddly similar to how Arnold and Helga's relationship had changed. Helga had finally let her defenses down, and Arnold the former target had become her boyfriend. In the same way, Brainy had finally overcome Helga's tendency to injure him on sight and they'd become friends. It'd taken time; they'd maintained the borderline-stalker/stalked interactions up until they'd entered high school – until the day that some moronic senior had ambushed Helga and tried to steal her backpack. Normally, Helga would have been able to fight him off without breaking a sweat, but the jerk had torn her ribbon when he ripped her backpack over her head. Something in her had broken as she watched the two pieces flutter to the ground, and she'd stared at them in shock, the laughter of the senior strangely muffled in her ears. There had been a rush of color beside her and she'd looked up to see Brainy tackling the senior. The surprise of seeing quiet, subdued Brainy attacking a much larger opponent he had no chance of beating snapped Helga back to her senses, and when Brainy had inevitably been pummeled into the ground, Helga sprang into action. The panic on the senior's face had been priceless and it had only taken a few punches before the wimp had run away. Helga had scraped Brainy's glasses off the floor to return them, and seen him picking up the pieces of ribbon very gently. With great care, he'd brushed the dirt off the frayed ends, and turned to her. "Um…do you me to tie these back together?"

Helga had stared at him – he was handling her ribbon like it was fine crystal. It was almost like he understood what that ribbon meant to her – but that was impossible. She shook her head, smiling, and handed him his glasses. "Brainy, you're smart but you sure can't hit! Thanks for the help, though." He'd smiled and shrugged, and was beginning to walk away when Helga impulsively called out, "Hey, Brainy! Want to sit with me at lunch?"

And it was that simple. Brainy had lunch with her that day and every day after, becoming her closest, most trusted friend next to Phoebe. With the confidence he attributed to his friendship with the two girls, he'd learned to hold himself higher and to overcome his shyness. The boy once known for his wheezing now became known for his sense of humor and his love of terrible puns. People became a lot more comfortable with him, and he seemed to be a lot more comfortable with himself. It was always good to see him

Phoebe waved back, "We're doing just fine! How about you?

"I'm glad I found this place – it's a good thing Arnold and Gerald were out there." He looked back towards the road. "I asked them if they wanted some help, but they said I needed to park first. Should I head out there?"

Helga called out, "They'll be fine! Come on up and talk to us, Brainy. It's been so long since we could hang out."

Brainy smiled, but then looked hesitant. "But, they might need help…and I really should have been here to help you last night – "

"But nothing! We haven't seen you in forever, and they're big boys." Helga countered, jokingly brandishing her fists, "Now get over here before I have to deck you."

"Ouch. I know what that feels like," Brainy replied as he walked toward them, "and it definitely would not be worth risking that!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose unconsciously although he no longer wore glasses, but his tone was amused. Hugging both of the girls, he sat down and joined them in soaking up the sun. "Has anyone else arrived yet?"

"No," Phoebe answered brightly, "you're the first."

"I am sorry that I wasn't here to help set up yesterday like I'd planned."

"Don't sweat it, Brainy." Helga grinned, cuffing him on the shoulder. "We understood that you couldn't get off work. We were able to set up everything without any trouble. Not that we didn't miss you."

Brainy raised an eyebrow. "So I wouldn't have been a fifth wheel?" He joked.

"Of course not!"

"Well, fine. I am glad to be here now, though." He grinned and stretched. "Who do you think will show up next?"

Helga lay back down on the ground and closed her eyes. "Hmm, I don't know."

Brainy's eyes widened slightly, but Helga didn't notice. "Maybe Rhonda?"

Helga scoffed, "Oh, I don't think so. You know Princess Lloyd, always has to be fashionably late. Although that will probably come in handy -" Brainy poked her in the shoulder warningly, but she was oblivious as she continued, "- because she'll probably bring so much luggage everyone will have to help carry it."

"Uh, Helga…"

"I just hope they don't weigh too much – "

"Helga." Phoebe was joining Brainy in the chorus.

"- because the last think we need is for someone to throw their back out carrying cosmetics."

"Tell me about it," laughed a new voice, "it's bad enough that I have to suffer."

Helga's eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright to see Rhonda's boyfriend grinning down at her. Her eyes flashed back to the others, who were both determinedly avoiding her gaze. "Why didn't you say something?" She hissed at them.

Brainy shrugged, "We tried. But once you start talking…"

"Oh, ha ha." Helga rolled her eyes and turned back to the newcomer, "Hey Harold. Where's Rhonda?"

Harold grinned down at her. "She'll be here in a minute – she's trying to check her voicemail." Harold had been one of the easiest people to contact about the trip because, unlike most of his classmates, he'd chosen not to attend college and still lived in Hillwood. Instead of college, he'd gone into an apprenticeship with Mr. Green at the butcher shop. Some of his friends had worried about that decision, but Harold was perfectly happy and, as he liked to point out, he was already making money whereas most of the others hadn't even thought of paying their college loans off yet. What's more, he was an excellent worker and Mr. Green had been turning more of the business over to him. Although he'd just complained about carrying Rhonda's stuff, it was unlikely that it would cause him any difficulty; his arm muscles were like footballs, toned from years of high school football and hauling the massive cuts of meat that Mr. Green couldn't. His baby fat had all worn off and he was in great shape, a fact particularly frustrating to some of his classmates (including his girlfriend) as he had maintained his childhood habit of eating pretty much anything.

"She'll be along soon. And don't worry, we'll be able to carry everything ourselves. No one else will have to suffer."

"Suffer? Harold Berman, you had better not be talking about me." Rhonda was walking towards them, putting her cell phone into the pocket of a large duffel bag she had slung over her shoulder. "Have you been telling them that that's my stuff you're carrying? You liar, those extra bags are all the snacks you brought!"

Harold laughed, "Yeah, guilty. But you can't deny that you do bring a lot of unnecessary stuff with you…"

"Not this time!"

Helga, Phoebe, and Brainy all stood up to welcome their friends. Helga's and Rhonda's eyes met and it was like lightning flashed through their gaze. Rhonda raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows and nodded, "Unibrow."

Helga's gaze remained steely. "Princess."

The tension held in the air as both girls held the glare – and then suddenly broke as they burst into laughter and hugged each other. "How are you doing, Princess?"

"I'm doing okay, Uni, although I guess I can't call you that anymore." Rhonda indicated with a flick of her eyes the two eyebrows on Helga's face.

"I guess not." Helga had only recently split the unibrow, although it wasn't for aesthetic purposes. She had just gotten so tired of the hot scratchiness that she had finally done something about it. Actually, she'd also done it to see what Arnold's reaction was – but all he'd done was be briefly puzzled and then smile. It hadn't made any difference to him, which had been slightly disappointing but mostly reassuring – he thought she was beautiful no matter what. "So how're things at the design school? Still have the scholarship, Princess, or have you decided to return the money to the poor populace?"

Rhonda rolled her eyes in response. "Whatever, Uni. Classes are good and, no, I'm not returning the scholarship money – it's a merit scholarship and I earned it!"

Helga knew that it gave Arnold a lot of relief to know that Rhonda was no longer the wealth-obsessed girl who'd yelled hysterically, "Being rich is the one thing I'm really good at!" After years of parading around in the latest fashions, Rhonda had decided to start designing her own clothes. And unlike several rich heiresses who'd peddled their own fashion lines, she was genuinely talented – it was her talent that had attracted the attention of some of the top design schools in the country. Rhonda had even received a few scholarships, which she'd taken advantage of despite her own personal resources. She'd preferred it that way; it made her feel like a competent person rather than a leech of her parents' money. But although she was no longer obsessed with money, she was still very much the old Rhonda – stuck-up, appearance-conscious, and confident. And she and Helga still regularly butted heads, although now it was more good-natured than combative.

"Okay, okay, Princess – you're right. Take it easy!" Helga laughed.

"And don't you forget it!" Rhonda looked around. "So can I drop my stuff here?"

"Go ahead." Phoebe nodded, "We're just waiting for the others before we take everything to the site." Then her eyes narrowed. "Wasn't Patty coming with you?"

Rhonda's face fell. "She was, but her mom's not feeling well, and her dad's out of town – so she's staying home to take care of her. That's Patty for you – she could snap you like a twig, but underneath she's just a big softie." She smiled a little, "But she asked me to send you her regrets and hopes that we have a good time. Oh," she squealed, "I just noticed, Phoebe – I love your haircut!"

"Really?" Phoebe smiled and reached a self-conscious hand to touch her hair.

"Yes, it's so cute!"

"I told you, Phebes," Helga interjected, "it was a good idea to cut it that way."

The girls continued to squeal and wax poetic about Phoebe's hair, and the two guys began slowly edging away, secure in their mantle of masculinity.

"Okay, we need some more guys to get here…" Harold muttered in an aside to Brainy.

Brainy nodded covertly, "Tell me about it."

Both breathed a sigh of relief as two more cars pulled up. Stinky and Sid got out of the first car and quickly came over, dragging their gear behind them. Stinky began bragging in his lazy drawl about some of the new vegetables he'd helped cultivate at the local greenhouses – because after the enormous pumpkin he'd grown in fourth grade, his legendary botanical skills were legend – that'd he brought for them to sample, and Sid was clamoring to mention all of the safety measures he'd planned to keep the vegetables fresh and parasite-free. Sid's paranoia still knew no bounds, and Brainy contemplated telling him that, in nature, the measures were doomed to failure but decided against it. Why burst his bubble?

A dull thud came from the open door of the second car, and all stopped talking and looked over with varying levels of concern. Brainy ventured, "Could that be – "

A slight rustle of movement was heard, and then a quiet "I'm okay" floated towards them. Brainy grinned, "Yup, that's Eugene."

The passenger door opened, and long, willowy Sheena unfolded herself from the car and walked briskly over to where Eugene was presumably lying. Brainy jogged over to them, and all three of them came into view, Sheena and Brainy supporting Eugene, his arms over their shoulders. Although Eugene had grown quite a bit taller, reaching around Sheena's shoulders was a stretch – but then Sheena probably still towered over everyone there.

Eugene was leaned against a tree trunk to give him some time to recover and he sat in a daze idly rubbing the red spot on his cheek. Sheena loped back to the car, returning with the small first aid kit she always carried for obvious reasons. She handed him an ice pack which he placed on his cheek. "Sweetie, what happened?"

Eugene grimaced as the cold pack met with his hot face. "I think…that I tripped…on the seatbelt loop…on the floor."

Helga shook her head. "That takes some skill, Eugene." She glanced at Sheena, "I can't believe you let your boyfriend drive up here."

Sheena piped up, "Oh, but he's a very good driver, Helga. We've never had a single accident in that car. Once we get out of the car, something usually happens, but never in the car. For example, did you hear about the massive pile up on the interstate last week? Well, we were there, and no, he did not cause it!" Her voice was uncharacteristically stern as it was directed to some of her smirking classmates. "Actually, we almost got trapped in it, but Eugene did this really neat maneuver that got us out – and this race car sponsor noticed him and offered him a job."

Sid's mouth dropped, "You're a race car driver, Eugene?"

Stinky continued, "Sure hope they don't let you name the car. I don't reckon the world could stand two 'Mauve Storms.'"

Eugene's face grew red as he wished his girlfriend would stop trying to defend him in public. "No, I'm not a race car driver."

"You turned it down?"

"Well…" His face grew even redder.

His girlfriend's voice interrupted. "Of course he didn't! We even went to the man's office, but – "

"Sheena…" Eugene pleaded, but Sheena missed it.

" – but he crashed into a display case and nearly tore some autographed flags."

Helga tried to contain her laughter, but failed spectacularly. "So, the deal was off?"

Eugene sighed, and hid the part of his face that wasn't already obscured by the ice pack. "He didn't want to risk the insurance payouts."

Sheena sent a gentle glare at those who were snickering at Eugene, and dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "It's just as well, sweetie, I wouldn't want you racing anyway – you could get hurt."

Eugene smiled up at her, unable to stay upset at her for long. But he knew that he was not going to be hearing the end of this for a while. He let the ice pack slide to the ground and walked over to the guys, who were wearing jubilant grins. This was going to be interesting…

As the girls crowded around Sheena, Helga walked over to where Brainy was watching the other guys playfully heckle Eugene. He turned to her. "I just don't have the heart to join them – although it is pretty funny."

Helga shrugged. "He'll be fine. But look." She pointed to Stinky and Harold. "So now we have a guy who's obsessed with vegetables and a guy who's obsessed with meat – all we need is a guy obsessed with dessert, and we'll have a full course of obsession. Speaking of which, where is Chocolate Boy?" She grinned shamelessly.

"He wasn't in our class and he wasn't invited, as you know, Helga." Brainy arched one eyebrow and continued, "Besides we already have someone who's obsessed with dessert – specifically," he gave her a smug smile, "someone obsessed with 'ice cream.'"

Helga's eyes widened. "How did you know about our codename?"

"How could I not know? I spent all of high school with you and Phoebe, not to mention you asked me for guy feedback on Arnold and for someone you called 'ice cream.' I don't know how oblivious you think guys are," he laughed, "but it wasn't that hard to figure out!"

"Oh." Helga blushed. "Are you going to tell – ?"

"Of course not."

"Right. Sorry I asked, Brainy." The sound of a motorcycle roared over the area, and Helga turned towards the source. "Ooh, speaking of a full course of obsession, here comes a side of crazy."

"A side of crazy?" Brainy's forehead creased in confusion as he looked toward the parking lot. "What do you mean by – oh." He looked back at Helga. "Do you think we should warn her?"

"I don't think that there's time –"

"RHONDA, MY RADIANT LOVE! FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE RETURNED!"

Rhonda blanched and then turned bright red from where she had been talking with Sheena. She hid her eyes with her hand. _Oh, not again. Will he never quit?_ She looked over to Harold, hoping for some sort of assistance, but her boyfriend was currently convulsing with laughter at his 'rival's' profession of love. She sighed. Most of the time she was glad to have a boyfriend who wasn't easily jealous, but some help here would have been appreciated.

Curly sat on his motorcycle, proud and nonplussed at the reaction his declaration was getting from the others. He swept majestically off the bike, or as majestically as one could sweep off a multi-colored motorbike that was leaking pretty much every fluid imaginable and looked like it was about to fall apart. Streaked with paint and zebra stripes, the insanity of the bike was matched only by the insanity of its rider, who had mellowed from his somewhat psychopathic tendencies to the point that he would no longer take a school hostage for kickballs, but he was still highly unpredictable. And he still apparently had a thing for Rhonda.

"Have you missed me, my love?"

Although the term 'thing' was probably an understatement.

Curly turned towards the sidecar of his motorcycle, which the observers now noticed was shaking of its own accord, and helped the occupant out. She fell to the ground gratefully and appeared to be kissing the dirt. Rhonda's eyes widened. "Nadine!"

The group all ran over to the motor bike, Rhonda falling to her knees besides Nadine. Nadine was shuddering, "N-never again!"

"You okay, Nadine?" Rhonda ventured as she reached out to grip her friend's shoulder reassuringly.

"No, I'm not, thanks to this maniac!"

Curly shrugged. "I offer someone a ride, and that's the thanks I get."

"I asked for a ride, not a death wish!" Nadine took a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry, Curly – I did need a ride after my car broke down, and it was nice of you to offer. But you didn't tell me that you drove like that – or that the sidecar didn't have a seatbelt!"

"I think riding without seatbelts enriches the experience."

Nadine stared in shock. "But it's illegal!"

"Only if you get caught." No one could tell if he was being serious or not, and no one wanted to know. With Curly, it was often safer that way.

"If you say so," Nadine replied, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, "but you'd better hope that none of my bug jars broke or it's not going to be pretty."

The last of the mercifully unbroken glass jars had been safely packed away with everyone else's luggage when a final cloud of dust made its way to the parking lot. The red, dented-yet-clean pickup pulled up in the final parking spot, and Arnold and Gerald jumped down from the bed of the pickup where they'd been riding. Arnold tapped the side of the driver's window. "Thanks for the ride back!" He turned towards the others, "Okay, Phebes, everyone's here now."

"Excellent." Phoebe clapped her hands together. "Okay everybody, let's get ready to go."

The driver killed the engine, opened the door, and got out. The instant her foot touched the ground, the jaw of every guy there sagged slightly, which the girls responded to with looks of mingled amusement and irritation. _Men._ Some of the girlfriends considered mauling their significant others, but decided against it. They'd snap out of the reverie soon enough – this always happened when they first saw her.

Pulling her duffel bag from the back of the truck, Lila slammed the door and ran up to the others. "Sorry that I'm late," she greeted breathlessly. There were the usual exclamations of reassurance from the girls, but the guys remained notably silent. Enough was enough, and the dazed boyfriends were broken out of their reveries by whacks on the back of the head, while the other girls giggled and Lila blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. This may happen every time, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with it.

Once the closest thing their grade had to a _femme fatale_, Lila was still one of the most beautiful girl they'd ever known, with her shining auburn hair and vibrant green eyes. With the kind of appearance that made most men in the area suddenly unable to blink, it would have been easy for the others to be jealous. But they weren't – Lila was too genuinely nice, helpful, and overall fun to be around that they could forgive her for regularly turning the guys' brains to mush. It wasn't like she encouraged them to do that.

Phoebe smiled and walked up to her, giving her a hug. "Don't worry, Lila, you're not too late. We still have plenty of time to do whatever today. How are you doing?"

"I'm just fine, thanks Phoebe." She looked around at the others who were beginning to pick up their gear. "I've just got the one bag, does anybody need some help?" Despite her slender stature, Lila was actually incredibly strong from all those years working in the country on her father's farm. Besides that, she was the only one there among the city slickers with extensive camping experience whom they could ask for help in a crisis – although Phoebe was hoping they wouldn't need it.

Helga grinned and waved, "No, I think we're good, Lila." Her eyes cut across to Rhonda and she smirked, "Now, Rhonda on the other hand –"

"Shut it, Uni!" Rhonda growled. "I've only brought one bag. One. Bag!"

"Hey!" Phoebe clapped her hands, and everyone looked – down – towards her. Feeling extraordinarily like a den mother, she continued, "Knock it off, you two. Let's head over to the campsite so we can pitch the last tents and start this trip already!"

They all began walking up the hill, Rhonda shooting a glare at her boyfriend who was stealthily snickering behind his hand. They were going to have a long talk about why it is always important to defend your girlfriend – but it could wait. She caught up with Nadine and Lila, who was helping her juggle all the bug jars she'd brought.

Now the adventure could begin.

* * *

A/N: *whistles* That was a long chapter...but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. I just love character exposition. I realize that Brainy seems a bit out of character, but after I wrote a fanfic with him as the main character, I love writing about him with the characteristics I've given him (See Memories if you want to see the fanfic I've talking about - this is a blatant fanfic plug :) ). And I also realize the whole "course of obsession" thing is pretty corny - it made me roll my eyes every time I read it - but I liked it far too much to cut it out. So there!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think!


	3. Campfire Confessions

So, now the whole gang is here, and the camping adventure can proceed!

Thanks to all those who reviewed!  
**acosta perez jose ramiro** - Thanks very much! I had fun writing about all the characters, which was probably evident in the fact that that was a really long chapter. Yeah, Harold knows he has nothing to worry about where Curly is concerned...poor Rhonda.  
**Thundercatroar** - I heartily agree, I want more reviews! (lol) I'm glad that you liked all the re-intros - I wanted to keep everybody recognizable but give them a little something extra when I wrote about them, and I'm pleased to see that I was successful in that. I could completely see Rhonda having a whole entourage of bags...but this is fanfiction so I can distort her reality, bwahaha. Writing for Curly was fun! I can just see his motorbike now...Thanks for reviewing!  
**loonytunecrazy** - Thank you! Poor Brainy, he never really stood a chance but at least he gave it a try!  
**Kpfan72491 - **Gracias! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters. I feel like I am beginning to repeat myself repeat myself.

* * *

The boys stared at the enormous tangle of canvas, rope, and tent poles in utter bewilderment. "You sure this is all the stuff for the tent?" Stinky asked, scratching his head.

Eugene looked at the instruction sheet while sitting on the tree stump where he'd been immediately banished to after he fell onto the mound and nearly snapped the tent poles. "Positive."

"Huh." Stinky looked at Brainy, "Well, Brainy, how do you reckon we set up this dang thing?"

Brainy shrugged. "How would I know? I haven't been camping since Cub Scouts."

"Well, Mr. Salutatorian, I figgered you'd have the brains to know how to do it."

Brainy raised his eyes to the sky, "Oh yes, how could I forget Tents 101?"

Harold looked off to the horizon. "What the heck is taking Arnold and Gerald so long?"

Arnold and Gerald had hiked with Phoebe over to the ranger's station to clear the group's cars with the ranger – a task they hadn't been able to do the day before because they didn't have the license plate numbers. Arnold went because he'd signed for the rental of the campsite, and Gerald had gone to pick up the fuel that they needed for the grill. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but after twenty minutes of staring at a tent the guys had realized the foolishness of letting the only people who knew how to pitch a tent leave. Their frustration wasn't alleviated at all by the fact that girls had already pitched their tent and were sitting around it, occasionally sending unnecessarily smug glances at them. It wasn't that the girls knew any more about pitching tents – most of them had less experience than the guys – but they had Lila, whose instructions had helped them set up their tent in a trice.

"Oh dear, do you think we should help them?" Sheena asked the others as she looked at the guys; she hated seeing the dejected look on Eugene's face.

Helga shrugged. "It's not like we have any better idea of how to pitch it. Lila's the only one who knows what she's doing. How about it, Lila?"

Lila was blushing at the praise. "I guess – I just don't want to seem rude. How do I go about it?"

"You have more tact than any of us – except maybe Sheena – it shouldn't be hard for you to figure it out." Helga replied, "Just help them before the guys get back. If you don't, Gerald and Arnold are going to see the mess, and Gerald will start laughing. Harold will get ticked off, and they'll start arguing. Arnold will try to break it up, and Brainy will try to help. They'll go on forever – and who knows when we'll actually get to eat!"

Lila laughed. "Okay, okay. Let me see what I can do."

Every eye was on her and she walked over to the arguing boys and said a few inaudible words. In a matter of moments, the boys had stopped yelling and began to methodically assemble the tent. They finished in good spirits, and moved towards the grill to start preparing the meat. Lila smiled and nodded approvingly until the boys had all left – and then she quickly began readjusting the flaps and tightening the tethers.

"That's incredible," breathed Nadine, "How did she – ?"

Lila walked back over. "What did you say?" Sheena asked.

Lila grinned. "I just asked them for help. I said that I had to give a demonstration on pitching tents to a Campfire Lass troop in a few weeks and I wanted to make sure that my directions were clear."

"So you were able to tell them what to do and they just did it. That's diabolical, Lila." Helga smugly replied.

Lila shrugged. "It's so much easier to help someone than to admit you need help. And now, we should be able to eat on time, unless they burn something down." She grinned, "You may all thank me at your leisure."

"Oh, for she's a jolly good fellow…"

"Stop!" she laughed, "No singing, please."

The three others appeared over the hill and everyone flocked around them. Gerald and Phoebe led the others over to the picnic tables for dinner, and Arnold gently pulled Helga to the side, drawing her into his arms. "Miss me?"

_Only like the horizon misses the touch of the sun. _She nodded. "Yes, but not as much as the guys did, I'll bet."

A very amused little smile crept onto Arnold's face. "Oh, yeah. I was wondering about that once we'd left." He grinned at the tent. "They seem to have managed, though. How'd they do it?"

"Give you one guess. Hint: red hair, green eyes, only one here who knew how to pitch a tent..."

Arnold laughed, "Good for Lila – and it looks like she didn't step on any toes doing so."

Such an utterance from her love would have once caused Helga to writhe in jealousy, but she simply grinned in agreement. Any potential animosity towards Lila had died when Helga finally started dating Arnold. "Of course. And now, praise the deities, we can finally eat."

"AT LAST, MY LOVE, I CAN SHOW YOU THE STRENGTH OF MY BURNING DEVOTION!"

"Curly, give that back!"

Arnold looked torn between anxiety and hilarity. "Unless Curly sets the entire grill on fire."

"No, I must build a pyre as a testament of my burning love!"

Helga was laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes. "Who let him get a hold of the fuel?" She gave Arnold a quick hug and then began to turn away, "Well, we'd better get it away from him…"

"Helga, wait." Arnold grabbed her by the arm, his joking expression suddenly serious, almost anxious.

"What is it, Arnold?"

"Do you want – ?" Arnold hesitated, almost losing his nerve, but recovered before Helga could notice. "Would you like to go on a walk with me tonight, just the two of us?"

Helga gave him a smile that made him go weak in the knees. "Sure, Football Head, I'd love to."

"Good, we'll go after dinner." Arnold smiled in relief. "Now we better get Curly away from the flammable stuff…"

"On it." Helga turned towards the increasingly ineffectual confrontation at the grill and began striding into the fray, rolling up her sleeves. "Never send a boy to do a girl's job."

_Will tonight be the right time to tell her? I really don't want to mess this up._ In spite of the growing nervousness in his stomach, Arnold smiled at the sight of his take-no-prisoners girlfriend laying down the law. _That's my Helga._

**···**

" – And then I looked up and saw Arnold and Eugene up in a tree!" Harold slapped his knees with one hand as he held a marshmallow stick in the other. They had finished dinner and were now just sitting around the campfire, regaling old stories.

"Well, I knew that someone would come any minute, didn't I, Arnold?" Eugene replied.

"Yes, you did; that's what you kept saying every other minute when we were stuck up there – and we were up there a long time." Arnold joked, "And you weren't any help, Harold."

"Hey! I tried to get you down!"

"For five cents apiece – which you said would be fifteen cents total." Eugene countered, "For your customers' sake, I hope your math has improved."

Judging by Harold's expression, it looked like Eugene should stop worrying about the customers and start worrying about himself, but Rhonda put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. Arnold jumped into the conversation, "And that's why I never climb trees anymore."

Gerald looked confused, "But how about the tree house in Mighty Pete? We went there all the time."

He shrugged, "I don't know – I guess since I knew we had a ladder to get down, I felt okay going up there. But just the idea of going up in a tree gives me a headache."

"Then beware Arnold!" Curly cried in a particularly spooky voice as the firelight threw his face into strange shadows, "For climbing trees is the only way to escape the clutches of the bloodthirsty black bear!"

"Bears?" Sid's eyes grew wide. "B-but there aren't any bears here, are there?"

"You poor fool!" Curly crowed, "Of course there are bears here – this is Washington! And they lumber after humans, seeking to seek their fangs into quivering flesh!" Several people paled noticeably as he laughed maniacally.

Phoebe cleared her throat. "Actually, Curly's right in that there are bears here – but it is unlikely that they will bother us, and even more unlikely that they would try to eat us. Both _Ursus americanus_ and _Ursus arctos_ are omnivores, but they don't eat people. And climbing a tree would be a bad idea in the case of _Ursus americanus_, as they are adept climbers, but it is a sufficient defense against _Ursus arctos_."

Her attempt at reassurance was greeted by blank stares.

Helga spoke up, "Phoebe, have you been reading that Latin dictionary that I gave you for your birthday?"

Phoebe readjusted her glasses and beamed. "Why, yes, Helga – I feel that it'll give me a head start on the Latin terminology class I'm taking in the fall. How did you know?"

"You're speaking Dead Language, Phebes, and none of us have any idea of what you just said."

"I was?"

"Yep, and we're still clueless. Better stick to the President's English for the lowly non-med students."

Phoebe sighed, "Fine. But it's equally your fault for getting it for me in the first place. Basically, three points: the bears are not going to eat you, climbing trees is not a good idea when facing black bears because they can follow you, but it is a good idea when facing grizzly bears because they can't. Is that better?"

"Infinitely so." Helga grinned shamelessly.

"S-so, anyone game for some cards?" Sid ventured, clearing wanting to get his mind off the bears. The guys all crowded around him, fishing around for a pack of cards. While they were clamoring about the merits of gin, rummy, and old maid, Arnold tapped Helga on the shoulder and she silently followed him out of the campfire's glow.

**···**

It was a beautiful night for a walk. The melody of the night floated across the air in muted strains, and the moon hung full and luminous above them. The cool darkness comfortably enfolded them in its embrace, and Helga leaned into Arnold for warmth. She had no earthly idea of where they were going, but Arnold seemed to and she trusted him utterly. Even the idea that he was about to tell her the 'something important' subdued itself as she let herself enjoy the time with Arnold. They stopped at a hill not far from the campsite and sat beneath a tree.

The evening sky began to be obscured by clouds, and the darkness around them grew. Helga subconsciously slid into Arnold's arms, and Arnold gladly tightened his arms around her. Something about her presence made him feel so peaceful, which seemed ironic since she certainly hadn't given him any peace when they were kids. He could easily have sat there for ages, silent and complete, but he needed to tell her something, something that was very important to him.

But…he couldn't do it.

Not now, at any rate; he needed the moment to be perfect when he told her – and this moment wasn't it, as much as he wished it was. Arnold couldn't keep himself from glaring at the shrouded moon and hidden stars. He was being a coward, but he didn't want to mess this up.

Luckily, Helga couldn't see the glare in his eyes, but she could feel the slight tension in his body. She looked up into his face. "Arnold, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He smiled down at her. "Just thinking."

"About what?"

"About how pretty you look in the moonlight." It was the truth, but not the whole truth.

Helga's blush could be seen through the dim light. "Thank you. Would it be corny of me to say that moonlight makes you look very handsome?"

"Not at all, I'd be flattered."

"Good." There was a notable silence, and Arnold looked down at her. She felt his eyes and grinned, "What?"

"Well, aren't you going to say it?" He inquired teasingly, which made her heart leap.

"I already did, but I suppose it bears repeating – you look very handsome yourself. But don't let it go to your head – it's big enough already."

Arnold laughed, and the tension left his body. Helga felt it leave, and asked in a more serious tone, "Is something wrong, Arnold? Is there something you need to tell me?"

He shook his head. "No, I just thought it might be nice to have some time alone." Now that was a lie. He was enjoying the time alone with her, but he'd definitely wanted to tell her something. But he needed to wait for the right moment – he just hoped his courage wouldn't fail him when it came.

Helga shivered in his arms, which broke him from his abstracted thoughts. His arms tightened again around her, trying to send her some of his warmth. "Are you cold, Helga?"

"It's just my hands." Helga wiggled out of his arms and began rubbing her hands together. "Geez. I can't believe that it can get this chilly in summer."

"Here, let me help." Arnold took her hands and pressed them gently together in his grasp. The difference in their temperatures made her jump a little bit, but the warmth felt good. Then Arnold bent over her hand and began blowing on it gently. The sensation of his warm breath on her fingers tickled slightly and she giggled. He smiled warmly at her, "Is that better? Your hands warm now?"

She gently pulled her hands from her grasp. "Much better, thanks. And my hands are warm," she smiled coyly, "but my lips sure feel cold."

Arnold raised an eyebrow. "Do they now? Well, I guess I can help with that."

Helga's eyes slid shut, and she waited for the warm touch of Arnold's lips on hers. She could hear him moving closer, and her lips pursed slightly in expectation. Something cool and rough touched her cheek, and she fell backward, her eyes popping open in surprise.

Arnold was sitting beside her, a small Styrofoam cup in his hand that was full of a dark brown liquid. She suspected the cup was what had brushed against her, a fact that was confirmed as Arnold held it up towards her. "Hot chocolate?"

"Arnold…"

"What? Hot chocolate should warm your lips right up." Despite his perception of the human race, Arnold occasionally had his moments of complete obliviousness; however, the joking glint in his eye pretty much assured Helga that this wasn't one of those times.

"That wasn't what I meant, and you know it!"

"Come on, Helga, please try it." He asked with the half-lidded gaze that made her melt every single time.

"All right." She took a sip, and her eyes closed in contentment as she tasted it – swirls of nutmeg and cinnamon were blended into the chocolate, and it was so creamy and warm.

"Told you." Helga heard Arnold say.

"Yes, it warmed me up, but you're still not off the hook, Football Head." She took another sip. "Where'd you get the recipe?"

"It's my grandma's." Arnold laughed as Helga pulled the cup away from her lips and stared suspiciously into its contents. "Don't worry – it's perfectly normal. I just didn't add the gummy worms."

"Gummy worms? I like your grandma's style, maybe you should have left them in."

Arnold poured himself a cup from the thermos he'd brought. "No, trust me. That hot chocolate was so sweet, it would have sent Chocolate Boy running for cover."

Helga laughed and Arnold looked at her. _I'll tell you soon, Helga. Very soon. _He drank the hot chocolate, savoring its rich taste, and put the cup down. "So, are your lips still cold?"

Helga smiled and nodded, and, a moment later, had made an interesting discovery.

As delicious as Grandma's hot chocolate had been when she'd first tasted it, it tasted even better on someone else's lips.

* * *

A/N: There you are, another chapter completed. Just what is Arnold trying to tell Helga? Why couldn't he tell her now? Will Curly end up setting the entire place on fire? You'll have to continue reading to find out.

This chapter didn't serve a whole lot of purpose as far as the plot goes, but it had a few things that I felt merited mentioning. Besides, it gave me the chance to write some ArnoldxHelga fluffiness! So for those who love fluffiness, I hope you enjoyed it, and for those who would have preferred I'd gotten further with the plot...don't hurt me, lol!

The rest should be coming soon. (Sooner if I get many reviews. *cough cough*)

Again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Now please press that button at the bottom and review - reviews make me happy! :)


	4. Brimming Songs and Floating Canoes

Wow! Thanks a lot to all those who reviewed - it sure helped speed me up when I wrote this chapter!

**NintendoGal55: **Thanks for the defense - got to love the fluff! Unfortunately the suspense will be lasting for a bit longer...bwahahaha...but you will see what he has to tell her soon enough.  
**Thundercatroar:** Yeah, pyromania is a LOT more fun than it should be - especially when you have a giant campfire in which you can fling many things. I'm glad that Curly is still in character for you - I didn't realize how much fun he was to write for until I started. Huzzah! And hot chocolate and ice cream make a very good combination...yum. Thanks for reviewing!  
**Kpfan72941: **Thanks! I am glad you are enjoying the fluffiness!  
**Flintphone:** Merci! The interactions are making me laugh, and I am pleased that you are finding it satisfying...I really need some hot chocolate now, though.  
**Jilly: **I agree; they are way too cute!  
**loonytunecrazy: **Writing for Curly is a lot of fun, and it's good that you are also enjoying his antics - I sure am!  
**Annemarie22:** Aw, shucks. *blushes* Here is the next part!  
**SuprSingr:** Thanks for taking the time to review! I know that people are very busy - I still can't believe I started haranguing people for reviews...although now that it's worked...bwahaha. I'd love to hear what you think he's going to tell her - unfortunately, you still have to wait to find that out. Yeah, I love Curly but I am very glad I am not near him and fire at the same time! Lila is definitely not a villain, and you're going to be seeing more of her sweet side in this chapter and ESPECIALLY in the next! I've got plans for her. Helga has pretty much gotten over her jealousy, but she will have a brief relapse in this chapter. I wanted the major conflict between her and Arnold to be the unknown important thing, so I didn't want to throw much Lila-jealousy in there.  
**acosta perez jose ramiro:** Embrace your nerdiness, my friend! I originally intended for a lot more latin to be in her explanation, but then couldn't find any appropriate words besides the scientific names...ah well. I speak Spanish and English, but Latin continues to elude me.  
**evilbeckles**: Thanks! Here's the next part!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters. I also do not own the musicals "Oklahoma!" or "Singin' in the Rain." Sigh.

* * *

Eugene felt the warm sun on his face that was streaming through the flaps of the tent. He stretched and sat up in his sleeping bag, feeling a contented smile spread itself across his mouth. He loved mornings, and this was a particularly glorious one. He could feel a song brimming in his heart, and before long it poured from his lips.

"Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day. I've got a beautiful feeling, everything's going my – oof!"

Unfortunately, Eugene learned an important lesson: just because there's a song in your heart doesn't mean that you should sing it. He rubbed the spot where the shoe had hit him ruefully and glared at Stinky, who was suddenly missed a shoe. "What was that for?"

"Knock it off, Eugene. We're trying to sleep." Another shoe made its way towards him for emphasis, but Eugene managed to duck – and then promptly fell out of the tent. He cried out in shock, but the only response he received was a deafening snore; all the occupants were asleep. He rubbed his shoulder again and stretched his arms and legs as he stood in front of the tent. Suddenly, he heard the voice of an angel.

"Good morning, good morning - we've talked the whole night through. Good morning, good morning, to you and you and – hey!" His girlfriend stumbled out of the girls' tent, bringing the pillow that had interrupted her singing with her.

"Sorry, Sheena. But it's way too early for music." A sleep-heavy voice carried through the tent.

Sheena sighed as she put the pillow down, but brightened a little when she saw Eugene. She walked over to him, and sadly said, "They don't like my singing."

Eugene took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay, honey. It's not that they don't like it – they're just not morning people."

"Really?"

He steered her over to one of the picnic tables and they sat down. "Of course. And for the record, I thought you sounded absolutely wonderful."

Sheena blushed and leaned her head contentedly on his shoulder. Eugene turned his head softly towards her and kissed her on the forehead. His frustration at Stinky and the pain in his shoulder faded away – it was totally worth it to have this moment.

Phoebe, alert and ever competent, walked out of the pup tent she and Helga were sharing and rolled her shoulders to get the sore spots out. It was wake-up time, and she had to be the one to get everyone moving. She sighed; she liked planning things but she did not relish the feeling of being a den mother. "It's time to wake up, everybody!" Her voice rang crisp and clear in the air, but was not loud enough to penetrate anyone's sleep if the continued snoring was any indication. Wishing she'd brought the bullhorn Helga had offered her, she yelled louder, "Wake up! We have to get going!"

This time, there was a half-hearted stirring within the tents. "C'mon Mom, just five more minutes," a drowsy voice called out, and several sleepy chuckles responded.

Helga walked up beside her and punched one fist into her palm, grinning at Phoebe. Phoebe looked back at her and smirked. "You better be out and dressed in fifteen minutes or, so help me, I will send Helga in there to make you." The tents grew suddenly still, as though frozen in shock. Phoebe grinned as she delivered the killing blow. "And she hasn't had any coffee yet."

It was as though the tents themselves had come to life as the occupants began jumping around in their haste to get ready – the sound and bustle emitting from the tents was incredible. Helga folded her arms and watched the proceedings with amusement before turning to Phoebe. "You know, I'm not sure that I like being used as a weapon."

Phoebe shrugged. "If it works…"

"Just be glad that I have had coffee this morning. Otherwise, me having to wake them up would not have been pretty."

"Indeed. So be glad that I brewed her some this morning." Arnold walked up, grinning. "Sleep well, Phoebe?"

"Very well. How about you and Gerald?"

"Just fine," a new voice said from behind her, and Phoebe turned to see her boyfriend smiling at her. He offered her a tin cup. "I thought you might like some coffee yourself."

Phoebe took the cup in both hands and then stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "That's so sweet. Thank you, Gerald." She took a sip and sighed appreciatively as she felt the jolt of energy racing through her body. Now she could handle being a den mother – she just hoped that the others weren't going to collapse the tents in their rush to escape Helga's wrath.

**···**

Brainy rubbed the sore spot on his cheek that he was sure was going to bruise. Why did Sid still to wear beetle boots? It didn't matter to him most of the time, but the heels of those things were hard – Sid had accidentally sent one of them flying in his hurry to get dressed, smacking him in the face. At least, Eugene hadn't been in the tent at the time – that would have been chaotic.

They were all walking down to the bend of the river where they would rent the canoes for the day before going out onto the river. He was looking forward to it – he hadn't gone canoeing for a while and he relished the feeling of moving smoothly with the water, listening to the melody of the water. It was a soothing sensation, and his mind sorely needed to be put at ease.

"You okay, Brainy?" Helga walked over to him.

A brief shock of panic jolted through his body. _She can't possibly know!_ By some miracle, he managed to keep his voice level as he answered, "What do you mean?"

She pointed at his cheek, which he was still rubbing. "Your face. Does it hurt?"

A wave of relief swept away the panic, and Brainy brought his hand away from his face. "Are you about to say 'because it's killing me?' That's a low blow, Helga."

"No!" Her mouth dropped open, "I just meant about your cheek – " she then noticed his shoulders shaking in silent laughter, "Hey! You knew what I meant! Jerk!" She punched him in the shoulder.

His laughter continued unabated for a minute, and then he turned towards her. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Yes, I'm fine – although I'd be better if Sid stopped wearing those boots."

They both watched Phoebe directing the canoe partners and Gerald tying the food baskets into the back of the lead canoe. Arnold was standing at the water's edge, and, being the gentleman he was, was helping the girls into their canoes. Lila slipped a little getting in, and Arnold quickly steadied her with a hand on her shoulder. Beautiful even in her baggy clothes and her hair bound in a checkered handkerchief, she smiled gratefully up at him. Unbidden and unwanted, a spurt of jealousy pooled in Helga's heart. She mentally shook herself in disgust; she had no reason to be jealous – Lila would never encourage Arnold in that way, and even if she did, he wouldn't respond. Lila had been too good to Helga for her to be resentful towards her, and she'd never exacted revenge for all the torment Helga had inflicted on her. And it had been a lot. No, she had no cause to be jealous, but she continued to stare at them in a daze.

"You do realize you have nothing to worry about, right?" Helga broke out of the daze, and looked over at Brainy who was giving her a sympathetic smile.

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know. Old habits, I guess – I'm not usually like this about her anymore. And I'm really nervous, so all my rational thinking is just down the drain."

"What are you nervous about?"

"Well," Helga bit her lip, "apparently Arnold has something important he has to tell me. But he hasn't told me yet, and I'm getting really nervous about what it could be." She looked at the man she loved helping the others, and a bittersweet pang overcame her heart. "What if he wants to end it? What if he can't stand me? What if - ?"

"Helga!" He gripped both of her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Stop. He loves you, and you love him – those are facts. Whatever he has to tell you, I'm sure it is something important that you will be glad to hear."

Helga sniffed heavily, and then gave him a small smile. "That's what Phoebe said."

"Well, there you are," he said heartily, "if the smartest person we know agrees with me, we're both bound to be right! So don't ruin your day by worrying – enjoy it! Speaking of which," he looked towards the river, "it looks like everyone's loaded up. You're in Phoebe's canoe, right?"

"Naturally."

"And who's my canoe buddy?"

"Eugene."

"Ah. Good thing I wore my swimsuit then."

"How's that?"

He gave her a grin. "Helga, it's Eugene. We're going to capsize, guaranteed."

Helga laughed, "You've got a point. Should we join them now?"

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up. I need some time to steel myself for the imminent dunking in my future."

She laughed and cuffed him on the shoulder, then ran down to the water's edge and hugged Arnold before getting into her canoe. He maintained his composed stance as he watched her go, but his shoulders sagged as Helga jumped into Arnold's arms, laughing gleefully as he spun her around. Brainy quickly walked down towards the canoes, grateful that neither Arnold nor Helga had noticed his reaction. But another pair of eyes had.

**···**

The top of the river shimmered with the captured light of the sun, and Phoebe let her paddle glide through the water. Everything was going so smoothly that she could take a minute to relax and watch the others enjoying themselves. Nadine and Rhonda were chattering to each other over their shoulders, Nadine attempting to catch some of the dragonflies darting in front of her with their jeweled wings. Stinky and Sid were congratulating themselves on the 'excellent' prank they'd pulled on Harold the night before, although not loudly enough so that Harold could hear them, Phoebe noted with amusement. Sheena was animatedly describing a college dance program she'd helped choreograph while Lila listened with a fascinated expression, effortlessly steering their canoe. Eugene and Brainy weren't saying much to each other, but both seemed to be enjoying themselves – Eugene mesmerized by the birds flying overhead and Brainy staring into the water ahead with a pensive smile. The pairs had been selected so that everyone complemented with each other. Well, not everyone…

"Stand and fight, you cur!"

Phoebe groaned. She had no idea what had possessed her to pair Harold with Curly. It defied all logic and reason, and was just asking for trouble. Curly kept challenging Harold, who was ignoring him or passing the challenges off with increasing irritation. She brought her mind back to the night she'd been planning the partners – had she been ill or tired at the time?_ Let's see – that was the night that Arnold and Helga had gone to see a movie before coming to my house to plan. That's right, they got caught in traffic and the pizza we ordered got cold because they were late. It was just me and Gerald, waiting for them – wait! It was just us, so the one who came up with the pairs was – _

Gerald was not even trying to contain his laughter, and it rolled over the river to his girlfriend's ears. Normally, the sound of his laughter made her so giddy she giggled herself, but now she was too busy being nervous with him to notice. The two of them were going to have a long talk about this. Phoebe did not get frustrated easily, but when she did, she was a frustrated girl who was also an expert in nine kinds of martial arts and swordsmanship – crossing her was not a good idea. _Not that any of that will help us right now_, Phoebe thought to herself, as she watched the disaster unfolding before her in Harold and Curly's canoe.

"Come and do battle with me, you fiend!" Curly cried, brandishing his paddle.

Harold rolled his eyes in irritation. "I don't think so."

"What, are you a coward? Then how do you deserve the affection of my beloved!"

Rhonda nearly dropped the jar with the butterfly Nadine had just handed her. Somehow, she'd remained oblivious to the escalating situation about her, but the word 'beloved' had gotten her attention. She placed the jar in the bottom of the canoe, and covered her face with both of her hands. _Why does he keep doing this?_

"No, I just don't see the point of it." There didn't seem to be a point at all to Harold. He didn't feel threatened by Curly, neither physically or in Rhonda's affections. He didn't want to hurt Curly, he just wanted him to shut up already.

Curly appeared briefly dejected, but a wild smile leapt upon his mouth. "Then, I must find another way to prove my love! RHONDA, MY DARLING!"

Without taking her hands from her face, Rhonda called back, "I'm sorry, Curly, but there is no way that this is going to happen!"

He remained undeterred. "But look, my darling, at the stunts I pull for you!"

Rhonda's stalwart decision to not look up didn't last long – she heard Harold cry out in shock, "Curly, what the heck – " and then looked up. She immediately wished that she hadn't.

Curly had somehow managed to stand up in the canoe and was now walking the length of the canoe, with one foot on either side. Sufficiently difficult at the tip where the sides were close, Curly was nearly doing the splits as he stood at the center of the canoe. He saw the expression of shock on Rhonda's face and grinned. "Impressive, isn't it? And that's not all I can do!" And then he jumped.

Somehow, he landed back in the canoe, which began to tilt dangerously to either side. Harold scrambled around trying to stabilize the canoe, but his efforts were fruitless. He yelled as the canoe began to flip, "Curly, you idiot!"

Curly was grinning jubilantly as he was sent plunging into the water, his only response an ecstatic, "Huzzah!"

The collisions only began from there. Stinky and Sid were so busy laughing about their prank that they didn't see the overturned canoe or the boys in the water. Their canoe crashed headlong into the overturned one and both were flung into the water.

"We should help them," Eugene told Brainy, and he began to lean over the side of the canoe, offering a hand to Sid.

Brainy's eyes widened. "Uh, Eugene, I don't think that's such a good id-" The rest of the sentence was lost underwater as the canoe lost its center of balance and also capsized. He flung his head above the surface and started laughing, "Well, looks like I was right – I'm just surprised we weren't the first."

Gerald looked up inquisitively at Arnold, who met his gaze and then shrugged, grinning. In one simultaneous motion, they flipped their canoe over. If you can't beat 'em…

The girls looked over the sides of the canoes at the boys splashing and laughing in the water, acting like little kids. No irritation or stress, and no worrying that their unattended canoes might decide to float downstream without them. Fortunately, they were at the clearing where they were planning to stop for lunch, and the current was so slow as to be negligible. Phoebe was very grateful that they had decided to put the food in watertight containers as she watched it bob besides the canoes.

Rhonda looked over at the yelling boys, and rolled her eyes in disdain. "Oh yeah, guys – that's very mature."

The sound of her voice turned Harold towards her, and he began slowly moving towards her canoe. Nadine saw the gleam in his eyes for what it was and began storing her jars so that they wouldn't float away, very glad that she hadn't captured any bugs yet. Rhonda, on the other hand, completely missed the gleam until it was too late. Her eyes widened as he put his hand on the side of the canoe. "Harold, don't you dare…"

And then he flipped them over.

Rhonda flung her head above the water and took a deep gulp of air, sweeping her wet, bedraggled hair out of her face. She turned, treading water, towards Harold and dealt with her frustration in a very mature way.

"Harold Berman, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Apply sarcasm as desired.

She immediately flung herself at him while Nadine brought up the rear, lending a hand by splashing as much water in Harold's face as humanly possible. Arnold seemed to like Harold's thinking and began making his way towards Helga and Phoebe. His intentions were immediately realized by the two girls, who brandishing their paddles to keep him at bay. Laughing, he managed to expertly dodge the blows – until Helga accidentally whacked him on the head and he sank below the water.

"Gotcha, Football Head!" Helga triumphantly called, and waited for his response. She got none. She looked over the side, "Arnold?" All she saw was ripples, and she began to panic. "Arnold! Are you okay?"

Arnold popped up a good distance away from the canoe. "I'm fine," he gave a mischievous grin, "but you two are about to get very wet."

Gerald surfaced on the other side, Arnold having distracted the girls long enough for him to get there without detection. Chuckling so hard that his entire body shook, he flipped the canoe and sent the surprised girls squealing into the water.

"Jerk!" Helga launched herself at Arnold, dunking him under the water, "I thought you were really hurt!"

He grabbed her shoulders and spun her away from him. "That's what you get for trying to hit me!" He laughed, "And aren't you having fun now?"

"No." She folded her arms.

Arnold began tickling her, "How about now?"

"Fine!" she giggled, "Yes, I am – now stop it!" As soon as he stopped, she splashed him full in the face, "I'm going to get you for this!"

"You can try!"

Now the girls' squeals and giggles blended with the boys' yells and laughter to make one great cacophonous sound of jubilation. Eugene swam over to the only canoe still upright and looked up into Sheena's eyes. "Come on in, Sheena. It's fun!"

"Oh…" Sheena turned to Lila, her eyes shining. "May we, Lila?"

Lila shrugged and smiled, "I don't see why not." With one quick motion, she shook the canoe and then they both fell out into the water.

The water bottle escalated into a frenzy of battle cries and splashes. They all forgot that they were grown up, with cars and jobs and responsibilities, and lost themselves in the childlike joy of the moment. By an unspoken decision, it became a battle of the sexes as the boys attacked the girls and the girls struck back mercilessly. Neither side was above taking advantage of the other – Gerald picked Phoebe up and tossed her into the water, and Rhonda kissed Harold on the forehead, distracting him long enough for Lila to throw a handkerchief-full of water into his face.

Brainy was resurfacing after Lila had jumped him swinging her soaking handkerchief, and was laughing and trying to keep his contacts from falling out when he suddenly froze. Giggling, Lila rounded towards him, about to douse him again when she stopped, taken aback by the look of raw pain on his face. She followed the path of his gaze, and saw Arnold holding Helga cradled in his arms, both their faces alight with happiness. Lila turned back to look at Brainy – and saw that he'd left the river completely, dragging his canoe behind him to the shore. He then continued on up the hill, dripping and his shoulders hunched.

Subconsciously, Lila heard Phoebe rallying the others together for lunch as she quietly followed Brainy out of the river. Wringing her sodden handkerchief out, she thought about what she'd seen. She'd thought she'd seen his shoulder sag earlier, but had passed it off as a trick of her eyes – however, the expression she'd just seen had confirmed the suspicion she'd had for a while. Carefully, Lila made her way up the hill after Brainy and found him sitting on a rock overlooking the water. A suspicious wetness clung to his eyes.

"Hey, Brainy."

He nodded in acknowledgement of her greeting but remained silently staring at the river before him. Lila sat down near him and looked down to the water, giving him time to dispel the tears. She wrung out her wet handkerchief, shook out her hair, and glanced up at Brainy's face. He looked like he had composed himself for the most part and looked like he would be more willing to talk. Lila searched within her mind for some medicinal words that would fix everything – but she found none. Finally, she spoke.

"Brainy, I know."

* * *

A/N: Lila knows? Knows what? You'll just have to keep reading this story to see!

Anyone who has ever gone canoeing probably knows that your choice of partner can make or break you - you're both depending that the other will do their part properly and that they won't make you capsize. So...putting Curly and Harold was not the best idea...but it was really funny - and it gave me the chance to have Curly say, "Huzzah!"

Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it! Please press that button at the bottom and review. Let me know what you think! (And remember, the speed at which I update increases exponentially with the number of reviews that I get...)

Thanks for reading!


	5. A Second Set of Shoulders

Thanks to all you readers for sticking with my story thus far! Thanks to those who have favorited this story! And a special thanks to those who have reviewed:

**Kpfan72491: **Thanks very much! Yeah, I'm pretty bad about cliffies...but they are fun to write for me!  
**MagicHateBall:** I get tired of Lila being the antagonist as well! That's probably a big reason why I wrote this chapter - I hope that you enjoy it! Thanks very much, and here's some more!  
**loonytunecrazy: **Gracias! Hehehe, Gerald is terrible, isn't he, for putting those guys together? But it does lead to hilarity!  
**acosta perez jose ramiro:** Well, yeah! I like water fights - they're fun! I'd like to think Phoebe has those kinds of hidden facets...I do know I saw her fencing once...haha. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters. Sigh.

* * *

"Brainy, I know."

"What?" Brainy whipped his head towards Lila painfully fast, his expression almost frightened. He seemed to try regaining his composure, forcibly smoothing his face into a neutral expression and rallying himself to respond. "I…don't know what you are talking about." He brushed off her concern with a flippant tone that might have fooled someone if they hadn't looked into his traitorous eyes.

"Brainy." Her voice compelled him to look in the face. "You're in love with Helga." It wasn't a question.

Her voice was kind, gentle, but also completely matter-of-fact. She said it with the same calm certainty she might have used to say that the sky was blue or that the grass was green. But her words had turned Brainy's world completely upside down; the sky was green, the grass was blue – and someone knew his secret about Helga. _How could she know?_

Brainy stiffened, and the wetness that had receded from his eyes flooded back, threatening to drown them. His hands clenched on his knees as he struggled to hold back the tears – he could not allow himself to break down. If he did, he had no idea if he would be able to stop.

"Brainy." He felt a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Please don't keep it bottled up, you'll just feel worse. Just let it out – I'm the only one here."

The gentleness of her voice undid him and he began sobbing silently, his face hidden in his hands. Lila kept her hand on his shoulder as he shook, wishing that she hadn't started this – she'd wanted to make him feel better, not bring him more pain. But now that she'd started, there was no turning back. After a time, his sobs began to subside and she removed her hand, staying close beside him.

Brainy turned to her with slightly reddened eyes, eyes filled with shame and sadness. When he spoke, his voice was a broken whisper, "How…did you know, Lila?" A brief shock of fear shot through him. "Does anyone else know?" _Please, please let Helga not know, _he pleaded silently, becoming so nervous that his breath caught in his throat, causing him to wheeze the way he used to as a kid.

"No, I believe only I know. If anyone else does, they haven't told me and I don't plan to ask them. But I doubt it – you've hidden it very well."

Relief coursed through him. If he was capable of feeling anything but worry or sorrow at the moment, he would have been grateful for the relief – as it was, he simply noticed that the terrible weight upon his heart lessened slightly. "How did you know? When did you find out?"

His voice was almost accusatory, but Lila didn't allow herself to feel offended. Brainy was emotionally raw, and his feelings had not likely improved with the knowledge that someone knew his secret. "I've suspected it for a long time, but it wasn't until just now that I was sure." She folded her arms across her knees. "You see, I had an advantage that the others didn't – I didn't know you until fourth grade when I moved here – "

"Oh, so are you saying that it was an advantage not to have known me?" Brainy said in a joking tone, but the look in his eyes was broken, "That's a bit harsh, Lila."

"Brainy," she took one of his hands in both of hers until he looked at her, "that is not what I meant and you know it." Brainy slowly shook his head. "Well, you should know it. All I meant was that all of our friends had seen you following Helga for years – for them, you following Helga was just Brainy following Helga. It was just part of life they'd come to expect, like Eugene being clumsy or Curly wanting to set everything on fire. I was an outside observer, and so I could make my own guesses to explain why people did what they did." She let go of his hand and cupped her chin in her palm. "Come to think of it, that's probably how I figured Helga out."

"You knew about Helga's love for Arnold?" Lila nodded. "But how?"

"Remember _Romeo and Juliet_? I was the only understudy for Juliet who wasn't mentally injured before they gave up the part. I got Helga to admit to me that she liked Arnold, and well – " she shrugged, "who was I to stand in the course of true love after that? She did a wonderful job."

"Yes, she did." Brainy stared out over the water. "They were a perfect match – they are a perfect match. What is wrong with me?" He buried his face in his hands. "I usually can be happy for them, but today seeing them together makes me feel like my heart is being ripped apart. How can I be so selfish?"

"Selfish?" Lila was taken aback. "Why do you think that - ?"

Brainy continued on as though he hadn't heard her, "I've known she loved him since preschool and yet I followed her around anyway. He makes her so happy, and I still let myself hope that someday she would care for me that way. When we became friends, I was so happy and everything changed for the better for me. I would not change our friendship for anything – how could I even think of risking that?"

"So, you've never told her how you feel?"

He gave her a look as though she'd taken leave of her senses. "Of course not!"

"Because you were afraid of rejection?"

"Actually, no," he said thoughtfully, "I mean, I knew that she loved Arnold from the very start so there really wasn't a chance that I wouldn't be rejected. If we were still kids, she would just pop me one in the nose and then ask me to thank her for knocking me back to my senses. But it's different now – if I told her, she would still turn me down and then feel guilty for doing that to me. Not to mention, Arnold is such a good guy that he'd also feel terrible for me." He looked down at his hands. "And neither of them deserves that. I have no right to taint their happiness with guilt and pity for me."

Lila gripped his shoulder. "Then how can you say that you are selfish? For a smart guy, Brainy, you really can be extraordinarily dense. "As she hoped, Brainy was so surprised by her words that he looked up at her. "You've let the love of your life have what she's always wanted, and you put aside your own wants to do it – you're one of the least selfish people I know." A wistful tone crept into her voice as she continued, "To watch someone you've fallen in love with love another can be the hardest thing you ever have to do."

Brainy looked at her and noticed her sad expression, and gave her an understanding smile, "And do you know that from personal experience, Lila?"

She waved her hand indifferently. "Yes, but that's not important now, Brainy." He raised one eyebrow at her inquisitively, and she sighed. _I guess that since I made him talk about Helga, it's only fair that I tell him about Mark._ "There was this wonderful guy in my chemistry class that I had a really big crush on and he came over to my dorm one day to help with a project. He took one look at my roommate and – " she sighed, "well, the rest is history. It would be so much easier if I could hate both their guts, but they're both nice and had no idea how I felt about it."

"I don't think you'd be capable of hate anyway, Lila."

"I guess not. At least I hope not." She shrugged, "But it's not really the same, Brainy. I mean, you've loved Helga almost all of your life and I knew Mark only a year. Besides, I've been able to get over him since."

"Heartbreak hurts either way, Lila – I don't think the length has much to do with the intensity." Brainy scratched his head. "You know, it's funny – but when you mentioned a guy who broke your hear, I figured you were talking about Arnie."

"You mean Arnold's cousin?" Lila giggled and shook her head, "No, that was a crush easily gotten over. I see him at college sometimes though – he's engaged and seems to be very happy."

Brainy raised an eyebrow. "That's interesting…I wonder what attracted the girl to him. It couldn't be possibly the whole reading-ingredient-labels thing."

"Well, actually…" Lila grinned, "it was! The girl is studying to become a chemist and is hoping to get a job with a snack foods company."

Brainy stared at her a minute. "Seriously?" Lila nodded. "Well, it should be a match made in heaven – he'll have all the labels he'll ever want to read, and she'll have the satisfaction of knowing that someone will actually be reading them."

They looked at each other for a solid minute and then burst out laughing. The joke wasn't that funny, especially by Brainy's usual standards, but both sorely needed the laughter. They laughed until tears came to their eyes and they were forced to pant for breath. A silence followed, a much more comfortable silence this time.

"Lila?" Brainy ventured, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me get this out of my system. But why did you?"

Lila smiled at him. "You've had to keep your feelings hidden for a long time. You couldn't tell anyone about them, especially not Helga. That's a big secret to burden yourself with, especially since you're so close to her. I just thought it might make you feel better if you had someone to talk about it with – who could be an ear when you needed to vent. You don't have to bear it alone anymore."

Brainy blinked and then hugged her fiercely. "Thanks, Lila. You know, it's possible that you really are perfect."

Lila hugged him back. "Oh, I highly doubt that – I'm human." She pulled back and jokingly bobbed a little curtsy, "But thanks ever so much, kind sir."

"Ever so?" Brainy stood up. "I haven't heard that in a while. Having a relapse, are we?"

"You should talk, considering the wheezing you were pulling off just now."

"Hey! That's a medical condition!"

She playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "And you think that's an excuse? You hypocrite." They both laughed, and Lila looked down at the picnic. Her voice sobered a little. "We probably should join the others."

Brainy took a deep breath. "Yeah. How do my eyes look?"

"A little bit red, but not too much." Lila tilted her head in thought. "Well, we can just say I came up to help you clean your contacts or something – that should explain it."

Brainy clapped a hand to his forehead in mock horror. "Miss Perfect is suggesting we lie? Is the world now coming to an end?"

"Oh, very funny." She rolled her eyes, but her voice became serious. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Let's go down."

Lila patted him on the shoulder, retied the bandanna around her head, and began clambering down the hill. Brainy paused a moment before he followed her down, looking over at the picnicking others. His heart still gave a jolt when his gaze fell upon Arnold and Helga laughing together, but it was a good deal less painful than it had been before. Lila was just approaching their friends, and he felt a wave of gratitude flow through him. _Thank you, Lila. _Brainy smiled, a genuine, content smile, and ran down to join the picnic.

It was astonishing how much easier a burden was to bear when another pair of shoulders was there to help.

* * *

A/N: So there you are. Was Brainy's secret a surprise?

That is about as angsty as this story is going to get - and even then, there's a happy ending to it. This is one of those chapters that doesn't do much to further the plot either - but I greatly enjoyed writing it! I have a soft spot for Brainy so writing for him is a lot of fun for me, and I liked giving Lila some focus too. Like several reviewers have mentioned, I really don't like it when she is painted out as the bad guy - she is Helga's rival for Arnold's affections in the show, but never by her own choice.

Anyway, character development is done, and here comes more plot! The next chapter should be up soon (I hope!). Never fear, I have not forgotten **Arnold's **secret - and it will soon be revealed!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think! Reviews make me happy :)


	6. Irony

Greetings Readers! We are now getting close to the end of this story - this is the second to the last chapter! Thanks to all of you for taking the time to read this!

A special thanks to all those who reviewed:  
**NintendoGal55: **Ooh, it's on now! You insult my red herrings, you insult me! LOL To be honest, I didn't think that Lila's knowledge would be all that surprising, I just liked ending the chapter on that note. I thought readers' reactions would be, "Well, duh!" Actually, that's kind of the reaction I would expect from the HA! gang when Helga and Arnold started dating. teehee. We're getting close to the secret, never fear! I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
**Kpfan72491**: Thanks! Yeah, the same. And interestingly enough, that wasn't my original intention...but looking back...hmm, the possibilities.  
**acosta perez jose ramiro:** Merci. I figured Lila deserved a little bit of nice fanfiction about her, and I love writing for Brainy!  
**Flintphone: **Yes, I feel for Brainy - but I hope he gets his own happy ending! He will, if I have anything to write about it. I wasn't sure about the title, but I'm glad you liked it!  
**Thundercatroar: **Yes, profiling is probably wrong...but unfortunately it's easy and occasionally fun. I'm glad you liked that interaction about Arnie - I couldn't decide if I despised or loved it, but it makes me laugh so I kept it. Curly will get some lovin'! I just don't know if it'll come in this story...but he does deserve a story of his own. Thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters. I merely reject their reality and substitute my own.

* * *

"Good grief, it's hot." Phoebe groaned as she wiped her arm on her forehead and looked over at the others. They had reached the turning point of the river and were about to turn and head upstream to return the canoes. It was going to be harder to return and everyone had gotten out to stretch their legs before starting.

Gerald walked up to her. "Yeah, it is. Need some help cooling off?" His tone was innocent but his eyes were mischievous, and she didn't miss his quick glance towards the river.

"Don't even think about throwing me in there again, Gerald." She fixed him with a blazing stare. "I finally just dried off from the last time."

"Hey!" Gerald countered, "I didn't start the whole water fight – that was Harold and Curly!"

Phoebe forked a hand on her hip, "And just who put those guys together in the first place?" She smirked a little at his shocked expression. "Yes, Gerald, I now remember that you were the one who suggested that set-up."

Gerald reddened, "Um…" He could feel the heat building up around his collar, and he loosened it nervously. He was trying to find the words that could dig him out of the hole he was in and was failing miserably when Arnold walked up to them. _Saved by the bell_, Gerald thought as he released a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Phebes; I wanted to ask you a favor." Arnold began rubbing the back of his neck. "I know that you took time planning the whole canoe split-up, but could I steal Helga for a bit? There's something I want to show her – and the place I want to go to is kind of out of the way."

"No worries, Arnold. We were going to change them anyway." She shot another look at Gerald who simultaneously laughed and winced – he still didn't regret what he did, but he knew he was in hot water. Then Phoebe's face brightened as she thought about what Arnold had said. "Something you want to show her? Oh, wonderful! Helga's been trying to figure out what that was all weekend!"

Arnold furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled. "How did she know I wanted to - ?"

Phoebe faltered, but quickly steadied herself. "Oh, woman's intuition, I guess. Go on ahead, Arnold, we were going to switch around partners anyway. I'm sure Helga can't wait to hear what you have to say."

Arnold smiled in gratitude and then ran over to his canoe, calling to Helga. Both watched him go, and then Gerald turned back to his girlfriend. He folded his arms and raised his eyebrows in skeptical amusement. "'Woman's intuition,' huh?"

Phoebe looked up at him. "Fine, so I heard you guys talking about it, and Helga found out." She crossed her arms. "And if you don't want to be in even more trouble, you'll spill about the secret. Now."

Gerald gulped.

**···**

When Arnold had pulled her aside so that they could canoe together so he could show her something, she had been surprised. Then she had been pleased. And then she had panicked. All these feelings warred and collided with each other within her mind as she'd grinned back at him and gotten in the canoe. But now, as they paddled quietly in the same slow rhythm down the river, all these feelings had been suppressed by quiet joy and contentment. That's what being around Arnold did to her – whether he was making her laugh, making her angry, or making her heart thump, she would always feel a core of contented stability when he was near.

She stopped paddling and gazed adoringly at him as he continued to powerfully navigate the water. The colorful rays of the setting sun silhouetted his face and form, making him look unbelievably handsome. Arnold had always been cute, but with the years he had grown taller and more dignified. He had also become much stronger, and Helga found herself staring at his toned arms as they effortlessly plunged the paddle into the water. She slipped into a pleasant daze as she thought of how strong and safe they were, and how wonderful it felt to be held lovingly in them. A blissful smile spread upon her lips as she remembered the last time he'd held her – his arms across her shoulders, his breath upon her fingers, and his hot chocolate lips upon hers –

"Helga?" Arnold was looking back at her, appearing concerned. "Helga, are you all right?"

She shook her head hurriedly to clear it of the pleasant memories. "Sure, I'm fine. Sorry I zoned out there for a minute. What did you say?"

Arnold smiled, "I was just saying that this side trip might make us a little late for dinner. Is that okay with you?"

She waved a hand dismissively. "No worries there, Football Head. I want to see this important thing you're going to show me. It better be good, though."

"Oh, it will." Arnold replied. _At least, I hope it will be._ He feasted upon her blushing face with her face. She was so beautiful – he could just gaze at her forever –

"Arnold? Hey Arnold!" He broke out of his reverie to see Helga pointing ahead, "Look out for that log!"

"Right." He quickly maneuvered around the log and remained resolutely facing forward, grateful that she could not see the embarrassment on her face. _Maybe it's better if I don't do that while we're still on the water. I could get so distracted that we might capsize. Again._

They brought the canoe onto dry land and left it where the rental company could find it. Arnold held out his hand to Helga and smiled. "You ready to follow me?"

_To the ends of the earth,_ Helga though as she wordlessly nodded and slipped her hand into his. They began to walk into the wooded clearing, shadows beginning to fall dim and mysterious around them. Helga felt a brief stab of hunger in her stomach, and then furiously tried to silence it. _How can I think of food at a time like this? _And then a blend of excitement and apprehension filled her stomach.

_Just what are you going to show me, Arnold?_

**···**

"So, what are we having for dinner?" Harold called from his and Rhonda's canoe.

"Just the classics – burgers, hot dogs, that sort of thing," Phoebe replied, "Speaking of which, I'm going to need some volunteers to gather wood and to work the grill."

"I'll stoke the fire," Curly offered in a deceptively calm voice, his eyes blazing with excitement.

"NO!" It was hard to tell who had yelled the loudest, and Nadine whacked him on the back with her paddle for good measure. She still hadn't forgiven him for the heart attack he'd nearly given her during the motorcycle ride, and it seemed that she wasn't pleased that they were in the same canoe. Although she did look concerned as he rubbed the sore spot ruefully…

Brainy grinned. "Sorry Curly, looks like you've been fired." A chorus of good-natured groans answered him, and Lila used her vantage point to splash him from behind. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

They pulled ashore, pushed the canoes aside, and began hiking back to the campsite. The sun had nearly set, and the shadows of the coming evening had begun to cling to the tips of the grass. Sheena gripped Eugene's arm tighter for comfort. "It's getting very dark, Phoebe; will Arnold and Helga be all right?"

"Of course they will be!" Phoebe returned, smiling, "In fact, Arnold actually needs it to be dark, because – " She stopped herself before she gave anything else away – it wasn't her secret to tell.

Sheena's ears perked up; she hadn't missed the slip. "Phoebe, do you know what he's going to tell her?"

Phoebe nodded, "I can't say what it is though, Sheena. Trust me, they'll be fine."

Sheena smiled back, reassured, and then strode to catch up with the others. They arrived at the campsite and began to prepare the grill. Brainy called from the grill. "So, Phebes, are we waiting for Arnold and Helga to get back before we start dinner?"

"No, I don't know when they'll get back, and Arnold said to go on ahead. Just save some burgers for them."

"Will do." Brainy saluted her with the spatula he was holding, "Who knows when the lovebirds will finally get back?" He turned back towards the grill and began talking to Lila as he lay meant over the burning charcoal. Phoebe watched him throw his head back an laugh, and she smiled. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought he looked happier now than he had the whole trip.

Phoebe settled back, ready to leave the cooking to the others. As Gerald sat down beside her, she leaned against him and watched the landscape darkening around them, a small wisp of worry entering her brain. Gerald noticed the worried expression on her face and asked about it.

"Do you think they'll be able to find us? It is getting dark, and it can be hard to find your way around here.

"Don't worry, _kirei_." Phoebe blushed, glad that he'd asked her to teach him some Japanese before he'd met her parents. Something about the way he called her beautiful in that language made her heart feel light. "They've got each other – besides Arnold knows what he's doing."

**···**

A cold sweat came over Arnold as he looked around and realized that he had no idea where they were. Something about the twilight made everything look so different and obscure, and he felt uncomfortably disoriented. This was not going as smoothly as he had hoped, but they were still going to get there. Eventually. He glanced towards Helga briefly and hoped that she hadn't picked up on his unease.

Helga remained completely oblivious to Arnold's concern as she walked beside him, but she was not completely immune to her own uneasiness. The warming peaceful aura of being near Arnold had been punctured multiple times by the growls of hunger her stomach was emitting, and the holes left behind gave access to anxious thoughts. She began to worry. _What does Arnold want to show me? Why did he want to wait until now? Calm down, Helga girl, it has to be something good. Right?_

A stab of hunger joined with anxiety struck her again and she bit her lip. _But why wait until now when it's so dark – what can you see in the dark? Wait, maybe he __doesn't__ want to see when he tells me what it is – what wouldn't he want to see?_ She blanched. _Oh no, he's told me before several times that he hates seeing me cry._ Arnold had had to comfort her several times when the situation at home went sour, and he always said that to her as he would gently wipe her tears away. _Is what his is going to show me going to make me cry? Is he going to end things with me?_

As hunger and fatigue made Helga's thoughts less and less rational, Arnold's mind was also troubled. He blew a thin stream of air through his lips in frustration and frowned. _How on earth did this happen? I've walked through this part of the forest dozens of times – although never from this direction. I really hope Helga likes it, but she won't get the chance to see it if we get lost in her. I hope she's not worried. _He looked over at her and his heart sank at the apprehensive, almost dazed look on her face. Arnold quickly looked around the, feebly hoping that he would see something that he remembered. But it was no use.

Arnold sighed, stopped walking, and gently turned Helga to face him. It was time to face the music.

"Helga, there's something I need to tell you…"

**···**

"Soup's on!" Brainy yelled out in his best imitation of a Western accent as he juggled the burgers in one hand. "Come an' git it!"

Lila had to stifle a laugh with her hand as she followed him with the lettuce and condiments. Unfortunately for Brainy, his best imitation of a Western accent was terrible. "Phoebe, do you want us to put these on the picnic tables?"

"No, I was thinking we could eat dinner around the campfire tonight – does that sound good?" People responded with nods and shrugs, and then began settling around the fire while Brainy and Lila distributed the burgers. "Does anybody have any preferences for what we do tonight?"

"Tell ghost stories?"

Sid shuddered, "Just so long as we don't have any more bear stories. Those could actually happen."

"It's not like we've seen any bears anyway. We're so loud that we probably scared them away," Nadine pointed out. "Maybe we could go for a midnight hike?"

Rhonda rubbed her sore arms and cramped legs, "Ouch. Let's not – I'm still aching from all that canoeing."

"Besides," Lila added, "we probably should wait for Arnold and Helga to get back. How long will they be gone, do you know?"

Phoebe shook her head. "I don't know – it could be awhile."

"I wonder what they're doing."

"Phoebe knows!" Sheena cried out, "Don't you, Phoebe?"

"Well, yes," Phoebe blushed and looked away, "But I can't tell you what it is."

As one, the girls swarmed upon her, buzzing for news.

"Aw, c'mon Phebes – it's not like Helga won't tell us once they come back."

Phoebe bit her lip. "I guess…"

Sheena sighed blissfully, "Whatever it is, I bet it's terribly romantic – Arnold is so sensitive."

The girls indulged in a group sigh, and the guys responded with a silent groan. Being called 'sensitive' was like the kiss of death to them – the girls all seemed to go for that, but it made guys look like wimps. Arnold seemed to be one of the few guys who was able to pull off being sensitive without being nauseating, an enviable skill.

Sheen continued, "I bet Helga will love it. And it's such a lovely night for a walk – so peaceful and quiet."

**···**

"What do you mean, you have NO IDEA where we are?" Helga bellowed into the night.

Helga knew that she was over-reacting, she knew that Arnold hadn't done this on purpose, and she knew that they probably would be just fine. But she was hungry, her arms and legs were painfully sore, and she was anxious about what Arnold wanted to tell her in the first place. It certainly hadn't helped that she'd been expecting Arnold to reveal the something important just then, and instead he'd told her that they were lost.

Arnold raised both his hands, more in an effort to pacify her than to shield himself – although given the fire in her eyes, shielding himself would be a wise move. "Helga, I didn't mean that. I've just gotten turned around, that's all – we should be able to get back on track." _I hope._

Strands of golden hair had slipped from Helga's ponytail, and they lay across her flushed cheeks and blazing eyes. Even though he was really regretting making her this mad, she was so beautiful when she was angry. His eyes widened as he looked in her direction, and he remembered thinking that exact same thing when they'd first arrived. It was true that she was beautiful angry, but he was currently too terrified to appreciate it. And Helga wasn't the one terrifying him.

His eyes darted towards a tree nearby. If they moved slowly and calmly, they might just make it. Arnold turned back to Helga who was still fuming. "Honestly, Football Head! If you're going to do something like this, you need to plan ahead!"

"You're absolutely right, Helga," he said calmly. "And I'm sorry. Would you please climb this tree?"

Helga's eyebrows nearly crossed. "What? Have you lost your mind?"

"No, Helga. Please climb the tree." The calm monotone of his voice never faltered.

Helga forked her hands on her hips. "I know as well as you do that you hate climbing trees. Are you trying to be funny?"

"No, Helga, I'm being perfectly serious. Now please climb the tree."

"I'm upset, and all you can say is 'climb the tree?' What kind of a boyfriend are you?"

"Hopefully a better one than I am probably appearing to be right now. Please climb that tree." A note of desperation crept into his voice, but Helga missed it.

Helga snapped and she began brandishing her arms, yelling, "Climb a tree? Is that the same thing as 'taking a hike?' I'm tired and I'm hungry and I'm freaking out, and that's all you can say? Do you even care?"

Despite her heated tone, Arnold could see the tears in her eyes, and it broke his heart. He wanted to hold her and explain what was going on, but he couldn't. If he did, they could be done for. "Of course I care, Helga. That's why I'm telling you to climb –" His eyes widened ever so slightly and for the first time, Helga realized something:

Although he had been talking to her the entire time, he was not looking at her; instead, he was looking just over her left shoulder. She was about to ask him what he was looking at when he did something completely unexpected. He laughed.

It was a strange laugh – Helga couldn't tell if it was from amusement or hysteria, or perhaps it was some bizarre combination of the two. His intent stare compelled her to look over her shoulder to see just what he could possibly be laughing at…

She turned and saw a mass of shaggy black fur. It took her a moment to register that she was staring at a black bear. She stared at it for what seemed like forever.

And then everything went black and she knew no more.

* * *

A/N: Attack of the cliffhanger once again! I really have no shame, but I do like writing cliffhangers. What will happen with the bear? Why did Arnold want to bring her to a certain place? And what in the world is the 'something important' he wanted to show her ever since chapter one? All these questions shall be answered in the next and final chapter!

I hope that you enjoyed reading this! I will be updating the next chapter soon (sooner if I get many reviews - they inspire me *cough cough*)

Thanks again for reading and please review!


	7. Starcrossed Lovers

Greetings, fabulous readers! Here we are at the end of this story, where all answers shall be revealed! Probably. Thanks for reading to the end, and I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

A special thanks to those who reviewed:  
**Kpfan72491: **Thanks so much for all of your reviews! Yeah, I have no (or at least very little) shame when it comes to writing cliffhangers - but hopefully you will enjoy this chapter!  
**SuprSingr:** Thanks for taking the time to review. When you review, you review! I just hope that 'paranoy' doesn't mean 'annoy' but that you're just being paranoid? Updates really do speed me up, because I hadn't actually written this chapter when I posted the last - big mistake. Not doing that in the future for sure! You shall see what's so important very soon! Yeah, I'm not going to actually kill them - I'm not quite that evil...besides they're way too adorable together. That George of the Jungle reference is a good idea, though... You'll find where I live and... *sweat drop* Um...what's say we just skip to the pizza part, since I'm not going to kill them?  
**loonytunecrazy: **Thanks for reviewing! Those are good guesses, and you shall see very soon!  
**Thundercatroar:** Running jokes for the win! I actually suffer from worst case scenario-itis, so that part was easy to write. It's a pretty important thing to him, and Helga will hopefully take it in stride :) You hope he's not...uh...no, that's not what he's going to tell her, but that's all the hints I'm giving about that. LOL Thanks so much for your reviews!  
**acosta perez jose ramiro:** Yes, yes they did find a bear. Or the bear found them. Well, I needed some reason for why Arnold would tell her to climb a tree! haha Thanks very much, and I hope you enjoy this final chapter.

And special cyber cookies to all those who have reviewed every single chapter! Wow!

WARNING: Please, do not under any circumstances, follow the advice given below in how to defend oneself from bears if other advice exists from a more credible source. The information given below is correct as far as I know, but don't follow mine if a park ranger tells you a different way of protecting yourself. (I do not want to hear about any bear maulings in which the victim blames their circumstances on the 'moronic advice of a fanfic writer.' Actually, I'd prefer not to hear about any maulings period.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any its characters. Shocking, isn't it?

Everything was dark. Helga opened her eyes, and stared up into a dark vastness. She tried to figure out where she was, but the confusion was making her head pound. She shut her eyes again.

"Helga?"

Her eyes shot open and everything rushed back to her. The hiking, the getting lost, the yelling, the tree, the bear, Arnold. Arnold! A jolt of fear rushed through her. _Did that bear get Arnold? I have to do something!_ In a motion that had once been as natural to her as breathing, she swung her fist upwards, desperate to do something, anything, to save Arnold. The blow plunged into something fleshy, smooth, and definitely not a bear.

Arnold fell over backwards, still cradling her head in her arms. "Oof!" Luckily, he managed to keep Helga upright, and as he sat up she was still blinking bewilderment out of her eyes. Then comprehension dawned, and her entire face flamed. "Arnold! I am so sorry!"

He chuckled as he rubbed his shoulder. "Brainy wasn't kidding – surprise does make you trigger-happy!" Seeing that she looked completely mortified, he gave her a warm smile. "It's fine, Helga. Given what just happened, I'm not surprised."

Helga pulled herself up into a sitting position and leaned against Arnold. "What happened?"

"Well, we got lost and you were not happy about it. When you started yelling, I noticed that there was a black bear coming up from behind you. I didn't think it would hurt us, but you never know, and I thought that we'd better move so that the bear wouldn't feel threatened by us. Since you were already tired and nervous, I didn't want to scare you more by telling you about the bear so I tried to get you to climb a tree without explaining why." He laughed a little, "Which I am sure made me look pretty callous."

"That was why you wanted me to climb a tree?" Helga asked tentatively, feeling more and more ridiculous as realization set in. "I'm sorry I didn't just climb it in the first place."

"I'm not." Helga shot him a perplexed look so he continued, "I was so preoccupied with getting us out of there that I forgot that climbing a tree would be the worst thing to do with a black bear. He could have followed us right up there."

"So how did he leave?"

"Actually, Helga, you're the one who saved us. The bear was getting closer when you really let me have it – your voice yelling and your arms waving all over the place. All that noise and motion scared it away – I don't know if I've ever seen a bear move so fast."

The note of wry humor that crept into the last statement did not escape Helga, and she frowned. "I don't think you've ever seen a bear move period, Football Head."

"This is true. Anyway, I was about to tell you what was going on when you saw the bear and then fainted. I'm just glad that I was able to get to you before your head hit the ground."

"I…fainted?" Arnold nodded. "Oh, wonderful – this has just been a night for embarrassment for me. Please don't tell anyone that I actually fainted."

Arnold winced. "I won't – but they already know, Helga."

"How?"

"Look where we are."

Helga peered around them. They were at the same spot they had gone to last night.

"See, that's the campsite," Arnold pointed, "and that's where we were when we saw the bear."

"That's not far away at all."

"No, which is how they heard you yelling." Arnold stated matter-of-factly. "When the guys heard you, some of them ran over to see what was wrong. They got here right after you fainted, and Brainy and Gerald helped me carry you over here."

"So, this is the place you wanted to show me?"

"Sort of."

Her face crinkled in confusion. "Then why didn't we just come with the others?"

"I thought it might be more romantic if we got here alone."

"Oh," Helga replied, feeling more guilty for yelling at him. "But why didn't you just tell me what you wanted to tell me yesterday?"

Arnold pointed one finger at the sky. "That's why."

Confused, she looked up into the dark velvet sky. After a moment, she realized that the night sky was clear for the first time that weekend. The bright orb of the moon dominated the darkness, although a few stars had ventured shyly into view. "The stars?"

Arnold nodded, and then took a deep breath. Helga noticed that he seemed very nervous as he asked, "Helga, what do you know about my parents?" His eyes held that poignant mix of grief and happiness that they always did when his parents were mentioned, and her heart went out to him.

"Just that they met in another country, came back here when you were born, and left – let you stay with your grandparents before they went on a final mission."

Arnold was an excellent person to talk to when one was troubled, he was able to coax out painful memories and secrets out of people without making them feel ill at ease. It was almost ironic, then, that he was so hesitant to talk about his own. He rarely talked about his parents – although whether to shield others from having to comfort him or not wanting to share what few memories he had, Helga had never been sure. From what his grandparents had mentioned in passing, she knew that his parents had loved their only child very much – but they had not left behind many material things for Arnold to cling to. All he had was an old journal his father had written, a picture of his football-headed mother and golden-haired father, and his blue hat. The hat was far too small to wear anymore, but Helga knew that he still carried it everywhere with him.

Arnold took another deep breath. "Well, for what I want to show you to make any sense, I need to tell you a little more." He looked away, trying to hide the moistness in his eyes from Helga. "Just let me know if I start boring you."

Helga entwined her fingers in his and gently squeezed his hand. Her voice was tender. "You won't, Arnold. Please tell me."

Arnold blinked the tears from his eyes and smiled at her. "Well, my mother loved to look at stars – my dad apparently used to joke that when she chose to become a doctor, the world had lost a brilliant astronomer. Sometimes in the evening, she would come outside with my father and they would watch the heavens together after I had fallen asleep. When they moved here, it was the first time that Mom had ever been to Washington or a big city, and my dad knew that she would miss the stars although she never told him. So the first night after they moved here, he brought her to this park and they sat in this very spot to see the stars." He smiled, a sweet but sad smile. "Apparently, she'd never seen them look so beautiful. My family would come to this park in the daytime very often – but at least once a month my parents would leave me with my grandparents for an evening and come here with a picnic basket and hot chocolate to be alone with the stars and each other. They would sit together and enjoy the beauty in the silence – when they weren't arguing about which constellations were which."

Helga smiled, "Who was usually right?"

Arnold's face lit up slightly as he laughed, "Mom. And Dad knew it – he just liked stirring her up." He stopped laughing and his voice became serious. "When I found out we were coming her, I decided that I wanted to bring you here to my parents' star-gazing spot. It's like bringing you to meet them, or at least the best way that I could." His voice shook slightly and he closed his eyes. "I guess I also wanted to see how this felt, sitting together like my parents used to. Sitting here now, I feel like we could be as happy together as they were. I know that that sounds ridiculous and corny, but I just had to – " His voice cut off.

Helga pulled gently away from him and stood up, walking towards the edge of the hill. Arnold cupped his eyes with one hand. _I wanted so badly not to mess this up…but it looks like I completely weirded Helga out._ He could feel his heart sinking, and he felt hollow. And then he heard her voice and looked up.

Helga was standing at the edge of the hill and had tilted her head up to look directly into the heavens. "Sir. Madam. It's a pleasure to talk to you – I only wish that I could have met you in person to say this. Thank you so much for your son. Thank you for bringing him into the world – he is a blessing to everyone he knows. He is strong, compassionate, and wise, and I know you must be proud of him. I only hope that I can make him feel as loved as he makes me feel. I think your stars are very beautiful, ma'am."

Arnold no longer felt hollow – instead he felt so full that he thought his heart would burst. He got up and quietly walked over to the woman he loved, putting his arms around her. She put her arms around him in return, and they clung together silently and watched the stars. No words were necessary.

In unspoken agreement, they turned back towards the tree and sat beneath it. Arnold held Helga close as they leaned against the trunk and gazed into the sky. There was a happy silence for a long time, until Helga placed her head on her boyfriend's shoulder and spoke, "Arnold?"

"Hmm?" Arnold dazedly replied. He had been busy thinking about how the glitter of the stars reminded him of a certain ring in a certain shop that he wanted to buy for a certain girl. _Another year of saving ought to do it – I don't want it attached to debt_. He quickly brushed the thoughts away, like a parent hiding their child's birthday presents when they hear them calling. He smiled, "What is it?"

Helga pointed one arm towards the stars. "I think some constellations are forming – do you know their names?"

"Sure." He gently held her wrist and guided her finger to the constellations as he named them. "That's Orion the hunter…and that's the Big Dipper…and that's –" He began chuckling.

"Which one is that? Why are you laughing?"

Arnold choked back his laughter. "That's Ursa Major."

"And how is that funny?"

"Helga, Ursa Major means "big bear." I can't believe that that bear is foolish enough to dare show its face, especially considering how you traumatized the only other bear we've seen this trip."

Helga swatted at him playfully. "Hey, that's mean!"

He grinned, "Oh, you know I love you."

Helga shrugged, although her heart was skipping. "I guess, but it never hurts to hear you say it."

Arnold took her hands in his, and she turned to him. The serious but loving look on his face made her heart pound. "I love you, Helga."

Two years of dating, and the way he said those four words still made her melt every time. She was feeling pleasantly flustered, but managed to wheeze out, "Once more?"

Arnold chuckled and then he teasingly continued, "I love you." His eyes acquired the half-lidded look Helga loved, and he raised his eyebrows. "Your turn."

Helga smiled, "I love – mmf!"

Arnold had just cut her off in the middle of her profession of love. But she couldn't have been happier about it as she leaned into the kiss.

**···**

"You mean, he's taking her to the same place that his parents used to go to?" Sheena sighed, clasping her hands together, "That's so romantic!"

Gerald took a long look at his girlfriend who was currently blushing guiltily and then laughed. "See, _kirei_, this is why we don't tell you girls this stuff. You can't keep it secret."

"Knock it off, Gerald!" Rhonda called out, "It's not like Helga wouldn't have told us anyway – oh, how terribly gallant of Arnold!"

"He's such a gentleman!"

"And a hopeless romantic."

"They just can't get past the whole _Romeo and Juliet_ thing, can they?" Brainy interjected and everyone looked at him, puzzled. "They went out to look at stars – and Romeo and Juliet were star-crossed lovers." He grinned shamelessly, "You can't miss the connection." _They are star-crossed lovers, but luckily __their__ story will have a happy ending._ He saw Lila smile sympathetically at him, and he smiled back. _And maybe someday I'll have my own._

Brainy's predictably bad pun was followed by the predictable good-natured groans, although the groans of the girls ended almost in blissful sighs. The guys watched in a mix of amusement and frustration.

Harold finished the last bite of his burger and groaned, "I hope Arnold realizes that he just raised the bar for all of us. I'm gonna kill him."

Eugene scratched his head thoughtfully, "Yeah, how are we supposed to keep up with that?"

Curly's eyes lit up as inspiration struck. "You poor fools, I have the perfect solution!" He cried, and then rushed over to the campfire. The boys stared after him for a split second and then all chased after him.

"Curly, don't do it!"

"What idiot left the fuel lying around?"

"Just give it back, Curly!"

"Never! My love shall burn for all to see!"

"Somebody stop him!"

All the boys tackling him did nothing to deter Curly's enthusiasm, and his maniacal laughter rang throughout the campsite. "HUZZAH!"

Oblivious to the scuffle taking place below them, the two star-crossed lovers stared into the peaceful heavens. Arnold slowly turned towards Helga and looked deep into her face. Her gaze caught his, mesmerizing him so that only one thought crossed his mind as he leaned in to kiss her:

Her eyes shone even more brightly than the stars above.

* * *

A/N: So here we are at the end - I hope you enjoyed it! It's great to have something completely done, but now I realize I have no more plots in my head, so it may be awhile before any more stories show up here...requests, anyone?

And now you know the 'something important' Arnold wanted to tell her - did you guess what it was? The reason he wouldn't tell her before was because the stars had been covered and he wanted that talk to go flawlessly with the stars. A lot of reviewers asked if he was proposing, and I even considered adding that part in. But in the end, I decided to stick with my original plan and imply that Arnold was working his way up to proposing to her - which may or may not have been clear. My implications tend to be vague, ha.

I will not lie, writing that exchange between Arnold and Helga about his parents made me totally tear up. I am not ashamed. I hope other people like it as much.

Thanks so much for reading, and please please review!


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